Shreyas sidelined: Performance strong, but victim of a lobby?

(By Ajay Motiwala)

Mumbai: One of the most dependable batsmen in current Indian cricket, Shreyas Iyer, has not been picked in the squad announced for the T20 Asia Cup — and that has triggered a storm of debate on social media. Shubman Gill, who scored 754 runs in the Test series against England, was drafted back into the T20 team and even named vice-captain. Rinku Singh got the nod despite only average recent returns, Jitesh Sharma too found a place in the 15 despite limited impact with the bat — yet Shreyas, a proven match-winner who can anchor an innings, was ignored. Many believe this amounts to sheer injustice.

The buzz in cricketing circles is that Iyer is being sidelined because of his perceived link to the Mumbai lobby around former India captain Rohit Sharma. On paper, he is a middle-order batsman who would walk into the XI of almost any nation, across formats. In IPL 2025, he piled up 604 runs and led Punjab Kings to the runner-up spot, yet selectors have continued to snub him — a decision that remains baffling.

In a high-stakes tournament like the Asia Cup, with potentially two or three high-voltage clashes against Pakistan, an experienced batsman is invaluable. But selectors have chosen otherwise — leaving fans questioning what exactly they are trying to prove by omitting Iyer.

Sure, Surya (717 runs) and Gill (650 runs) topped the IPL charts this year, but Iyer (604 runs) was not far behind. In the world’s biggest T20 league, finishing as the sixth-best run-getter barely two months ago, yet being denied a place in the Asia Cup squad, seems odd. Yashasvi Jaiswal (559 runs) and Riyan Parag (393 runs) both made it into the reserves. Even Rinku Singh, with just 206 IPL runs, found a berth in the main squad as an “extra specialist batter” but Shreyas is completely out of the frame. Why?

Gill’s Test heroics in England (754 runs) are noteworthy, but so were the performances of Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jaiswal, and KL Rahul. By contrast, Iyer a 30-year-old with 3,731 IPL runs and 1,104 T20I runs, and who top-scored with 53 in India’s win over Australia in Bengaluru just 18 months ago somehow doesn’t merit a place.

A few years ago, after a disciplinary lapse involving Ishan Kishan, Iyer too lost his central contract. But that episode is now in the past. Since then, he has worked his way back into form and consistency. Still, it feels as if some lobby within Indian cricket is actively keeping him out — which explains why he’s not even among the reserves.

History shows that politics in Indian cricket has often derailed the careers of talented, reliable players, while average performers have enjoyed extended runs. Shivam Dube is a current example of someone who continues to get opportunities despite modest returns. Meanwhile, a match-winner like Shreyas Iyer finds himself repeatedly ignored — with no rational cricketing explanation.