"Shreyas Iyer needs to be spoken about”- Aakash Chopra amidst Asia Cup 2025 selection discussion

Shreyas Iyer made 604 runs for PBKS with a strike rate of 175.07 in IPL 2025.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has advocated for Shreyas Iyer’s candidature in India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad. He highlighted Iyer’s IPL 2025 tournament performance for Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Chopra stated that Shreyas Iyer "needs to be spoken about," as he made more than 600 runs for PBKS while taking them into the finals of the tournament. Iyer’s strike rate was also an impressive 175.07, and he hit six fifties with a best score of 97*.

With an already packed top order and middle order with Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer is fighting for a spot in the Indian squad with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.

Because of his ability to hit boundaries, his skill in the middle overs, and the fact that the IPL is frequently used as a criterion to get players into the team, Chopra stated that Iyer must be included in the Asia Cup squad.

"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," Chopra said on the YouTube channel.

"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," he observed.

However, while talking about the combination that India might play, Chopra felt that Shreyas Iyer doesn’t fit in the XI. He stated that Tilak Varma, who has 443 runs in 13 T20Is with a strike rate of almost 170, with two centuries and two fifties, is undroppable.

"Since he bats lower down the order in the IPL, it is an apple vs. orange comparison. If you see his numbers, you feel the guy has not done anything wrong. Will you drop Tilak Varma from the XI because I believe Shreyas Iyer's best place to bat is either number three or four? If he goes to No. 5, I think it will be a little too low in T20 cricket, and Surya is at No. 4," Chopra concluded.

It remains to be seen whether Shreyas Iyer makes it into the Indian squad for the Asia Cup 2025 amidst such tight competition for spots.