‘He didn’t put a foot wrong’: Sanjay Manjrekar questions Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from Asia Cup – Watch | Cricket News

Shreyas Iyer (Agency Image)

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has criticised the BCCI’s senior men’s selection committee for picking players in one format based on performances in another. According to him, India’s Asia Cup T20I squad lacks cricketing logic and has ignored players who were outstanding in the shortest format. Speaking on Instagram, Manjrekar said he has noticed this “format mixing” trend over the years. “When I see a player getting rewarded for his Test match performances by being placed in the T20 side, I just find that devoid of cricketing logic. It just doesn’t make any sense,” he remarked.

While he did not mention names directly, his comments appeared to be directed at Shubman Gill’s inclusion as T20I vice-captain despite his recent success coming mainly in Test cricket. In contrast, Shreyas Iyer, who had a breakthrough season in the IPL, was left out of even the standby list. Manjrekar called Iyer’s exclusion “shocking” given his recent form. The Punjab Kings skipper scored over 600 runs in IPL 2025, leading his team to their first final in 11 years. He also finished the season with an average above 50 and a strike rate over 170, the highest among top run-getters.

“This is a guy who had been left out earlier for not committing enough to domestic cricket, but he came back with great intent. His batting in the Champions Trophy and then the England ODI series showed a different level of maturity. He carried that form into the IPL and dominated throughout,” Manjrekar said. He added that if selectors wanted to drop Iyer, it should have been only in favour of someone with stronger T20 credentials. “Pick a guy who has done well in T20 cricket, not someone who has excelled in Test cricket,” he concluded. Despite his form, Iyer was not included in India’s 20-member squad or among the five reserves named for the Asia Cup.