Delhi: Former England spin bowler Monty Panesar has given his opinion on the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer from the Indian team of Asia Cup 2025. He believes that the team does not need Iyer’s captaincy capacity at the moment because there are already players like Suryakumar Yadav in the team who can play this role.

Great leadership shown in IPL

Shreyas captained the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024 and made the team champion. After this, in the 2025 IPL, he also took Punjab Kings to the finals after 2014. His captaincy was praised everywhere.

“Team already exists leader”

Talking to India Today, Panesar said, “Perhaps Shreyas Iyer is not getting a place in the team because he brings leadership and at the moment the team does not need it because he is playing the role of Suryakumar.”

Team wants to give youth a chance

Panesar believes that this decision was taken by the team management so that some new and young players can get a chance. He said, “This gives the team a chance to bring a young and enthusiastic player to manage for coach Gautam Gambhir.”

Iyer is still useful as a batsman

However, Panesar also admitted that Iyer is a great batsman and his IPL 2025 performance has also been excellent. He scored 604 runs in 17 matches and his strike rate was 175.07. Panesar said, “If he keeps scoring, he should play in the team. His talent is amazing.”

Indian team has the best option

Panesar also praised the depth of the Indian team. He said, “Today India is in such a good position that they can compete with any team in the world by making 2-3 teams.”

Command in the hands of Suryakumar Yadav

The Asia Cup 2025 is going to start from 9 September. In this tournament, the Indian team will be commanded by Suryakumar Yadav. Many young faces have been included in the team which are ready to prove themselves.