‘No one was better than him in the middle overs’ – Aakash Chorpa bats for Shreyas Iyer’s inclusion in India’s Asia Cup squad

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has stated that Shreyas Iyer deserves a place in India’s squad for the 2025 Asia Cup. Chopra highlighted that the Mumbai batter was India’s standout performer in the middle overs during the 2025 Champions Trophy, consistently finding boundaries and keeping the momentum going.

The Asia Cup 2025 is scheduled to be played in the UAE from September 9 to 28. With the selectors set to announce the squad on Tuesday, August 19, Shreyas is expected to be a key contender. Chopra added that Iyer was among the star performers in Rohit Sharma’s title-winning Champions Trophy campaign earlier this year.

“Shreyas Iyer needs to be spoken about because when we were watching the Champions Trophy, no Indian player was better than him in the middle overs. He was the guy who was taking the attack to the opposition. He was the guy who was hitting boundaries whenever he wished, and removing the pressure on the batter at the other end,” Chopra said on YouTube Channel.

Chopra also highlighted that Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas deserves a spot in India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad based on his stellar IPL 2025 performance. He amassed 604 runs in 17 innings at an average of 50.33, including an unbeaten 87 in Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians (MI), steering PBKS into the IPL 2025 final.

“After that came the IPL. There were plenty of pressures. This was Shreyas Iyer’s best-ever IPL season. We have repeatedly seen that T20 selections are based on IPL performances. We have seen that with Varun Chakaravarthy, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and everyone. If we see it from that token, Shreyas Iyer deserves to play,” Chopra said.

Chopra also noted that Shreyas, with 1104 runs at a strike rate of 136.11 in 47 T20I innings, is the fifth-highest run-scorer among active Indian T20I players. He added that Iyer’s maturity and composure in the middle overs will be crucial for India, especially in building a strong foundation for the 2026 T20 World Cup.