Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer opens up on Asia Cup 2025 snub

Indian batter Shreyas Iyer has admitted that he felt 'frustrated' after being left out of India’s 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025, saying he believed his recent performances warranted a place.

In an interview with a local Indian podcast, Iyer said he initially struggled to process the disappointment but quickly shifted his focus to the bigger picture.

"It is only frustrating when you know that you deserve to be in the team, in the playing XI. That time, it is frustrating," he said.

"But at the same time, when you know that someone is performing and playing consistently for the team, you support them. Eventually, the goal is for the team to win and when the team is winning, everyone is happy."

Despite the setback, the right-hander stressed his determination to work harder off the field and raise his game to a level where his performances become impossible to overlook.

"If you don’t get a chance, you have to see to it that you do your work ethically. It’s not like you have to perform only when someone is watching. When you prepare yourself in a certain manner, whatever happens on the ground is just a reflection of what you do off the field," Iyer explained.

He added that consistency in preparation will eventually bring results.

"If your prep is good and you don’t perform in one or two games, in the third game you are definitely going to perform. I have experienced this," he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that the 15th edition of the men’s Asia Cup will be played in the T20I format, featuring eight teams Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Oman, UAE and Hong Kong, divided into two groups.

Meanwhile, India are placed in Group A alongside Oman, Pakistan and the hosts UAE.

They open their campaign against UAE on September 10 in Dubai, face arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14 at the same venue, and round off the group stage against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.

Group B features Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Four stage, with the top two from that round contesting the final on September 28.

India's squad for the Asia Cup:

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice captain), Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube , Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy , Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson

Reserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal