 "Shreyas Iyer played a crucial role in helping Punjab Kings reach IPL 2025 final. AP")
Former New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor has reacted to Shreyas Iyer being left out of India’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. The experienced batter said that Iyer’s omission shows how strong and deep India’s T20 team has become.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-member squad for the 2025 Asia Cup earlier this week and Iyer failed to find a place in the team. The Mumbai cricketer was expected to be included after a successful IPL 2025 season, b but the selectors decided otherwise.
The decision made by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel stirred a controversy, with fans and experts coming out in Iyer’s support. Taylor has now reacted to the ongoing row, saying that it only shows the depth of the Indian T20I team and how they can afford to leave out a player of Iyer’s quality.
“I haven’t seen the side yet so can’t say. (But) when you can leave that type of quality out, you’ve got to be pretty comfortable with the depth of your squad,” Taylor told PTI on the sidelines of a CLT10 League event.
He also lavished praise on new Test skipper Shubman Gill, who led India to 2-2 draw in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
“It was a great series against England, whenever you go in the foreign conditions in Test cricket, especially these days, you have to take it very well. He has played in great spirits and led from the front.”
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Meanwhile, former Sri Lanka pacer Farvez Maharoof seconded Taylor’s comments, saying India are spoilt for choices even though they will play Asia Cup without Iyer as well as opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“India is spoilt for choices. (Ajit) Agarkar (chairman of selectors) is just too straightforward. These two guys haven’t done wrong. One (Jaiswal) takes on the bowlers from ball one, while the other is a leader of men. The system in India to produce players is fantastic,” Maharoof said.
Maharoof said the Indian squad has all bases covered and the defending champions are “favourites” to win the Asia Cup. He highlighted the role of all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
“Going into the Asia Cup, India is the favourite, looking at the side that they have picked, they have got all the bases covered,” he said.
“Hardik Pandya, on his day, is a match winner. We saw that in the T20 World Cup in West Indies, we saw it in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka (2023), whenever he performed well India have done well. For me in this side, Hardik Pandya can make the difference,” he added.
(With agency inputs)