NEW DELHI: Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has strongly questioned the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer from India’s 2025 Asia Cup squad, calling it a “tad bit unfair.” The BCCI on Tuesday named a 15-member squad, along with five reserves, for the tournament — but Iyer’s absence has triggered widespread debate.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The 30-year-old has been in sizzling form. In IPL 2025, Iyer amassed 604 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 170.07, guiding Punjab Kings to the final with six half-centuries. Despite those numbers, he found no place either in the main squad or among the reserves.

Reacting to the snub, Karthik took to Instagram on Thursday and said: “Where is Shreyas Iyer? That’s the big question, isn’t it? How could he miss out? To a point, it’s understandable. He wasn’t part of the 15, considering how well Team India have done. 17 out of the last 20 they have won, so okay, continuity, fair. But not making him part of the other five players which you have earmarked for the near future with the T20 World Cup in mind?”Karthik further added: “Closing doors on him? That’s a tad bit unfair and I hope it doesn’t happen because he has done outstandingly well as a leader, but even better as a batter under pressure.”He concluded by stressing Iyer’s value: “It looks a solid squad, but again Shreyas Iyer, I feel, should have been part of the 20 for sure.”Iyer has played 51 T20Is for India, scoring 1,104 runs with eight fifties — numbers that only add weight to Karthik’s argument.

India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad