AB de Villiers suspects 'closed-door happenings' behind Shreyas Iyer snub for Asia Cup: ‘Truth will come out one day’

A strong 600-run season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Punjab Kings wasn't enough for Shreyas Iyer to make the cut for the 15-member Asia Cup squad. The right-handed batter, 30, has been in phenomenal form in the white-ball formats of late, and this led to fans believing that Shreyas would be a sure-shot pick in the squad for the eight-team tournament. However, Ajit Agarkar and the rest of the committee opted not to have him in the reserves. Shreyas Iyer snub for the Asia Cup continues to polarise opinion on social media. (PTI)

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes there is no cricketing reason for leaving Iyer out of the team. However, he was quick to point out that something is going on behind the scenes, and potentially, that might be the reason the right-handed batter finds it difficult to make the team.

Iyer has had a smashing season. He first led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy win in the 2024-25 edition while he captained Punjab Kings to the IPL final in the latest edition. This was the first time in 11 years that the Punjab Kings managed to make the final of the IPL.

The 30-year-old was even a vital cog in India's Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year. After the triumph, captain Rohit Sharma also reserved some special praise for the middle-order batter, saying how he was instrumental in bailing the team out repeatedly.

“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. He's matured a lot. He showed a lot of leadership qualities, but who knows what is going on behind closed doors? No one. Not me. Not you guys,” de Villiers said during a live chat on X (formerly Twitter).

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“Maybe not even Shreyas knows. But there might be a few things that have taken place over the years that have determined why it'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. But 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,” he added.

Shreyas' last T20I came in 2023

Shreyas last played a T20I for India in December 2023 against Australia. Ever since, he has found himself out of favour. It must be mentioned that Shreyas Iyer was removed from the central contracts list after he failed to turn up for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.

However, months later, he was included in the list. Shreyas continues to remain on the sidelines when it comes to Tests and T20Is. de Villiers feels that the truth will eventually come out one day.

“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's got 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,” he added.

The former Proteas captain also speculated whether Shreyas' inclusion in the squad would lead to some differences in the dressing room, considering his leadership acumen and recent performance as skipper.

“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,” said de Villiers.

“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,” he added.

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