Gautam Gambhir had no role in Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from India’s Asia Cup squad

Shreyas Iyer’s absence from India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025 has been the biggest talking point. The 30-year-old has continued to redefine himself for the last two years, but, for some odd reason, has always been in the plans.

Shreyas himself had revealed that he wasn’t going to play in the Champions Trophy. It only came about due to an injury to Virat Kohli, which helped Shreyas feature against England. From there, he ended up being India’s best batter in the Champions Trophy.

Rift between Gambhir & Shreyas Iyer?

He was among the best batters in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and was easily the most improved batter from the last season. Yet, players who performed nowhere near what he did were selected. This fuelled rumours of a potential rift between Shreyas and India head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Both were the main men behind Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) title run in IPL 2024. But it was believed that Shreyas wasn’t pleased that Gambhir got all the credit for it. The coach, on the other hand, didn’t like that Shreyas left the franchise, as he values loyalty above everything.

But these potential rumours of Gambhir being the reason behind Shreyas’ non-selection had been put to bed. It’s come out that Gambhir wasn’t even part of the selection meeting for the Asia Cup squad.

Who selected India’s Asia Cup squad?

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia and the selection committee, consisting of chief selector Ajit Agarkar and other selectors Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Ajay Ratra, and Sridharan Sharath, were present. India’s T20I captain Surya Kumar Yadav was there as well. But Gambhir wasn’t there, not even virtually.

The squad was selected keeping IPL 2025 performances in mind, but also knowing what to expect in the next 6 months, with the T20 World Cup 2026 just around the corner. Each player was selected keeping the ICC tournament in mind.

“Gautam was not a part of the selection meeting. He did not join on video call either. Coaches are a part of the selection process because they are consulted on the pool of available players. But they are never at the meeting, unless called in as a special invitee ahead of some major events,” sources told NDTV.

What’s Gambhir’s role?

But it’s like Gambhir has no say. The selection committee shortlists around 25 to 27 players who, in their eyes, should be in and around the T20I team. As India’s head coach, Gambhir keeps tabs on all of these players. It’s then his job to select the 20 players he wants. The same happened for the Asia Cup, as a 15-man squad was announced, and 5 were in backups.

“The coach is constantly in touch with the pool of 25-27 players. He is in touch with the National Cricket Academy head, with the fitness coach, the strength trainer, and the entire backroom staff who provide him with information about each player. Depending on the information at hand, he shortlists 20 players, whose roles are then well defined. The final job is done by the selection committee,” the source added.

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