'There's No Justice With Shreyas lyer'

'He adds stability in the middle order and there were spots where he could have slotted in.'

Despite his good form, Shreyas Iyer was dropped from India's squad for Asia Cup

IMAGE: Despite his good form, Shreyas Iyer was not picked in India's Asia Cup team. Photograph: BCCI

Mohammad Kaif believes Shreyas lyer was not given his due by the selection committee after ignoring him for next month's Asia Cup.

Shreyas' exclusion has not gone down well and Kaif has voiced his support for the 30-year-old batter.

'Shreyas lyer's name didn't come up; the selectors said it was a difficult task to fit him since only 15 could be selected. I can understand all that. But even after praising him, his name wasn't even in the standbys,' Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

'There is (Yashasvi) Jaiswal in the list, and you have (Dhuriv) Jurel. There is no need for Jurel. If the selectors really like lyer, he should have been named in the standbys. If someone got injured, he could've gone there,' he said.

'You won't see Shreyas lyer in the Asia Cup, which I think was wrong. His name should be in the standbys 100 per cent. Speaking of Jurel, you see Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson are already there in the squad. You pick Jurel there, and kept (Riyan) Parag in the standbys. I think there is no justice with Shreyas lyer,' he added.

Shreyas also found support from fellow Mumbaikar Jatin Paranjape.

'India has picked a very strong side for the Asia Cup, and that's no surprise given how dominant they have been in T20 cricket. When you are the reigning world champions, the bar is always high, and naturally, any selection will draw mixed opinions because the talent pool is so deep,' Paranjape said.

'Personally, I was expecting Shreyas Iyer to be in this squad. He's the kind of batter who adds stability in the middle order, and I do feel there were a few spots where he could have slotted in,' Paranjape added.

Expressing surprise at the pace bowling attack, Paranjape, a member of BCCI's cricket advisory aommittee said: 'Harshit Rana's selection also caught my eye, he clearly has the coach's faith though I would have thought Prasidh Krishna might get a look in.

'The spin attack looks excellent with Axar (Patel), Varun (Chakravarty), and Kuldeep (Yadav), which is crucial. In the UAE, you usually get batting-friendly pitches, but spinners can definitely come into play as the tournament progresses,' he added.

Shreyas was India's highest run-getter and overall second-highest run-getter in the Champions Trophy 2025, with 243 runs in five matches at an average of 48.60, with two fifties and a best score of 79.

In IPL 2025, he finished as the sixth highest run-getter, scoring 604 runs in 17 matches at an average of 50.33, at a strike rate of 175.07 and six fifties.

India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10. They then face Pakistan on September 14. Both matches set to be played in Dubai.

India will play their final group game against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.