South Africa legend calls Shreyas Iyer’s Asia Cup 2025 omission ‘weird’, hints at off-field factors

South African cricket legend AB de Villiers has voiced his surprise over Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad, calling the decision “weird” and hinting that factors beyond cricket may have played a role.

Shreyas Iyer, who had an outstanding IPL season leading Punjab Kings to the final and scoring over 600 runs at a strike rate exceeding 170, was omitted from the 15-member Indian squad announced earlier this week. The move has left fans and cricket experts around the world stunned.

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“It is tough, guys. I was just going through the squad. I was thinking, where can we fit Shreyas in, because I’ve seen all the headlines and some fans being upset. I think Shreyas will be the most upset because he’s played some really good cricket over the last few years,” de Villiers said during a live chat with fans on X (formerly Twitter).

Shreyas Iyer has represented India in 51 T20Is, scoring 1,104 runs at an average of 30.66 with a strike rate of 136.12. Despite his strong numbers and proven leadership—having also guided Delhi Capitals to the IPL final in 2020—he hasn’t featured for India in T20Is since December 2023.

De Villiers on behind-the-scenes factors

AB de Villiers lauded Iyer’s maturity and captaincy skills but hinted that there could be behind-the-scenes reasons for his exclusion that neither fans nor even Iyer himself might be aware of.

“He’s matured a lot. He has shown a lot of leadership qualities, but who knows what is going on behind closed doors? No one. Not me. Not you guys.

“Maybe not even Shreyas knows. But there might be a few things that have taken place over the years that have determined why he’s not the flavour of the month for a certain tournament. He’s a quality player. He’ll be in my team more often than not.”

Speaking from his own experience as captain, the former South African skipper explained that a player’s off-field conduct and influence in the dressing room can often play a big role when selectors face tough decisions.

“Sometimes, and I’m not talking about Shreyas now, but sometimes, thinking about when I was captaining, if there’s a 50-50 call between two players, I would always lean towards the guy that I feel offers more from a team perspective off the field.

“When it’s 50-50 on the field, you have to start looking at other areas, like does he add value in the team room? Does he have a smile on his face? Does he uplift some of the other players around him? Or is he sort of draining energy from the squad? Maybe it has something to do with that.

“I’m just honestly taking a complete guess. Of course, it is weird to me, a quality player like that, not making the starting squad for Team India, especially with the leadership qualities he’s bringing. Maybe it will be too much of a clash with him there.”

De Villiers also suggested that Iyer may have been left out because the Indian team already has plenty of strong leaders in the squad.

Too many leaders in Team India?

“Maybe there are too many leaders there, too many captains. I have no idea, to be honest. I was just trying to explain to you what I would think. If there’s a 50-50 call, you would always lean towards the guy that you feel will bring the best out in other players.

“So, a team player kind of call. That’s my best guess. I’m not saying it’s true. Make up your own mind. Actually, ask more questions about it and let me know what you think.

“Maybe the truth will come out one day, and we’ll know exactly why Shreyas is struggling to get into Team India starting line-ups or squads at least.”