'The Goal Is For The Team To Win': Shreyas Iyer Answers The Million Dollar Question, Breaks Silence On His 'Infamous' Asia Cup Snub

The upcoming 2025 edition of the Asia Cup is all set to be played in the T20I format. This is the third time after 2016 and 2022 that the continental tournament will be played in the T20I format. Reigning Asia Cup champions India will be up against teams like Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan and they'll try to defend their crown to the best of their capabilities.

Shreyas Iyer Breaks Silence On Asia Cup Snub

India's squad for the Asia Cup is not short on talent and quality, but it raises more questions than answers. There was a lot of debate on Shubman Gill's inclusion in the Indian T20I side and his appointment as the vice-captain, but Shreyas Iyer not making it into India's Asia Cup squad was the biggest talking point.

Iyer, who has been in splendid form lately, scored over 600 runs in the IPL and led Punjab Kings to their second Indian Premier League final. Iyer also played a pivotal part in India winning the Champions Trophy earlier this year. The Punjab Kings skipper recently spoke about his snub and how he felt about the entire thing.

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"It is only frustrating when you know that you deserve to be in the team, in the playing XI, 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," said the Punjab Kings skipper while speaking on the iQOOO podcast.

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Dissecting Shreyas Iyer's Numbers In T20s

Shreyas Iyer has played 51 T20I games, has scored 1104 runs at an average of 30.67 and at a strike rate of 136.13. The Punjab Kings skipper, who led the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title in 2024, scored a total of 3731 runs from 132 games in the cash-rich league. Shreyas Iyer has an average of 34.23 and has a strike rate of 133.35 in the Indian Premier League.