Shreyas Iyer last played a T20I match for India way back on December 3, 2023 against Australia in Bengaluru. In that fixture, Shreyas Iyer scored 53 off 37 balls batting at Number 3. Despite his super show with the bat in the last shortest format match as an India player, Iyer didn’t get a chance to play again, but he made sure to make the most of the opportunities that came his way as an India player.
Shreyas Iyer was India’s highest run-getter in the Champions Trophy 2025, and in the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League, Iyer scored 604 runs in 17 matches for Punjab Kings after joining them for Rs 26.75 crore in the mega auction last year. Shreyas Iyer’s super show with the bat in 2025 has impressed former India opener Aakash Chopra. According to Chopra, who is now an expert and commentator, Iyer was India’s best batter in the middle overs during the Champions Trophy, and if the selectors consider that form, then he deserves to play for India.
Aakash Chopra’s Thoughts on Shreyas Iyer’s inclusion in the T20 squad.
Speaking on his You Tube channel, Aakash Chopra said: “Shreyas Iyer needs to be spoken about because when we were watching the Champions Trophy, no Indian player was better than him in the middle overs. He was the guy who was taking the attack to the opposition. He was the guy who was hitting boundaries whenever he wished and removing the pressure on the batter at the other end.”
He further added: “After that came the IPL. There were plenty of pressures. This was Shreyas Iyer’s best-ever IPL season. We have repeatedly seen that T20 selections are based on IPL performances. We have seen that with Varun Chakaravarthy, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and everyone. If we see it from that token, Shreyas Iyer deserves to play.”
Aakash Chopra opines on how difficult it will be for Iyer to find a place in Playing XI.
Despite batting for Iyer’s inclusion in the Asia Cup squad, Aakash Chopra said that it will be difficult for the right-handed batter from Mumbai to pip Tilak Varma for a place in the playing XI.
He said: “We have built a case that Shreyas’ name should be there, but the truth is that Tilak Varma is playing either at No. 3 or No. 4. Since he started playing at No. 3, he has been unstoppable. Since he bats lower down the order in the IPL, it’s an apple vs orange comparison. If you see his numbers, you feel the guy hasn’t done anything wrong.”
A point to note is that Tilak Varma scored back-to-back centuries for India batting at No. 3 in T20Is against South Africa in South Africa last year.
Chopra added: “He (Tilak) allows us one more thing. You can maintain a left-right combination. Will you drop Tilak Varma from the XI because I believe Shreyas Iyer’s best place to bat is either No. 3 or No. 4? If he goes to No. 5, I think it will be a little too low in T20 cricket, and Surya is at No. 4.”
It remains to seen whether Shreyas Iyer finds a place in the squad when the BCCI picks a squad for the Asia Cup on 19th August 2025. His place is still not certain at this as reports from sources indicate a 50-50 situation for Iyer at this stage. Aakash Chopra is fort right in his views that Iyer on the back of impressive performances in the Champions Trophy and IPL deserves a chance in the squad. But getting into the XI looks complex for him.
It remains to be seen whether he is chosen in the squad in the first place, then one can think of playing XI when the tournament comes nearer to us. All eyes will be on BCCI headquarters in Mumbai and the press release that we all have to wait for to see whether Shreyas makes the cut and who all actually does make the cut. Let’s see how things pan out because any squad selection for India invites a lot of talking points.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Shubman Gill In Fray Of Things In T20I Setup