Former England cricketer Monty Panesar recently came forward and talked about star India batter Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad. He also heaped praise on pacer Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the tournament.
The Asia Cup 2025 is all set to kick off on September 9, and with the teams announcing their squads for the tournament, one of the biggest talking points ahead of the tournament came when Team India did not name star batter Shreyas Iyer in their squad.ย
One of the most in-form batters in white-ball cricket as of late, Iyer was being looked at as an expected addition to Indiaโs Asia Cup squad. However, his exclusion became a major talking point, with many experts giving their takes on the same.ย
Former England cricketer Monty Panesar weighed in on the situation as well. He opined that Iyer brings leadership skills to Indiaโs squad, and with the side having that area covered, the decision to keep Iyer out of the squad was made.ย
“One of the reasons Shreyas Iyer is probably struggling to get into the Indian squad is because he brings those leadership skills and, at the moment, possibly they’ve got that covered. It gives them an opportunity to bring in someone younger, a bit more exciting to play, who would be easier to manage for coach Gautam Gambhir. So I think he being the captain in IPL, makes it a bit difficult for him to get into that team,โ Panesar told India Today.ย
Panesar heaped praise on Jasprit Bumrah ahead of Asia Cup
With the Asia Cup 2025 right around the corner, Monty Panesar also heaped praise on Indiaโs star pacer Jasprit Bumrah. He stated that T20 cricket is Bumrahโs best format, and he is sure to excel for the Men in Blue in the upcoming tournament as well.ย
“I think T20 is his strongest format. So I think India probably needs him fit and ready for the World Cup, for the Asia Cup. So I think he’s more of a valuable asset in the T20 format than the other formats,” said Panesar.