Shreyas Iyer called his Asia Cup snub ‘frustrating’ and the batter felt that he deserved to be in the playing XI.
It was a huge shock for fans, when Team India’s 15-man squad for the Asia Cup was announced. Shreyas Iyer was one of the big omissions, despite being one of the stars in the Champions Trophy-winning campaign. Despite the snub, Iyer has been picked to lead India A in a two-match unofficial four-day Test series vs Australia A later this month.
Iyer was key for India in the middle overs at the 2025 Champions Trophy, and was their top scorer with 243 runs in five innings at an average of 48.60. He also scored two half-centuries.
‘Frustrating’: Shreyas Iyer fumes at Asia Cup snub
Ahead of the unofficial Test series, he expressed his ‘frustration’ on being ignored for the Asia Cup squad. “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, in a iQOOO podcast.
“But at the same time, when you know that someone is performing and playing consistently for the team and bringing (out) their best, you support them. Eventually, the goal is for the team to win and when the team is winning, everyone is happy.
“But as I keep talking about integrity, 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.” “Even when no one is watching, you have to keep doing your work. That’s integrity,” he added.
During the podcast, he also revealed that winning the Champions Trophy was ‘the best feeling ever’. Aiming to make a comeback, he pointed out that preparation was key, and he needed to put in a good performance.
“As we keep saying, you have to trust your preparations. When you prepare yourself in a certain manner, whatever happens on the ground is just a reflection of what you do off the field,” he said.
“You cross the t’s, dot the i’s, (if) your preparation is on point then everything is just a reflection.” “It (failure) can happen only once or twice, not more than that. If your prep is good (and) if you don’t perform in one or two games, (in the) third game you are definitely going to perform. That I have experienced,” he added.
The article originally appeared on Hindustan Times
