Rahane Calls for Clarity on Iyer's Asia Cup Omission

On Thursday, August 21, 2025, discarded India batter Ajinkya Rahane addressed the issue of Shreyas Iyer's exclusion from the national team's 2025 Asia Cup squad. Iyer had an outstanding IPL 2025 campaign as captain of Punjab Kings (PBKS), scoring 604 runs at an impressive average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07. However, the 30-year-old failed to find a place in the main squad and was also overlooked for the standby list.

Rahane, who is 37 years old, acknowledged Iyer's disappointment, stating that he "must be really disappointed considering the kind of IPL he had." The former India vice-captain also expressed his understanding of the team management's perspective, as they can only pick 15 players and need to maintain the balance of the team.

Rahane emphasized the importance of clear communication from the selectors and team management to Iyer, who he believes is "an important member of the team" and will likely be part of the T20 format in the coming years.

In the same conversation, Rahane expressed his excitement about watching Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh bowl together for India in the 2025 Asia Cup. He praised Arshdeep's ability to "double bluff" batters, recalling an IPL incident where the left-arm seamer bowled a bouncer to him, despite Rahane's anticipation of a fuller delivery.