Former Indian cricketer Sadagoppan Ramesh has publicly accused head coach Gautam Gambhir of showing favouritism following Shreyas Iyer’s omission from the 2025 Asia Cup squad.
Iyer, who had an outstanding IPL 2025 season with the Punjab Kings, where he amassed over 600 runs as captain and led the team to the finals, has been overlooked for the ACC tournament despite his impressive performance.
Gautam Gambhir criticized for not selecting Shreyas Iyer
In a recent discussion on his YouTube channel, Ramesh did not shy away from expressing his discontent towards Gambhir, who, along with chief selector Ajit Agarkar, is facing backlash for not including Shreyas Iyer. Earlier this week, Agarkar and India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav announced the Asia Cup squad, and Iyer’s exclusion became the main topic of conversation, especially since he was anticipated to be chosen after his recent successes in the T20 format.
‘He backs the players he likes but completely lets go of those he doesn’t,’ Ramesh remarked, highlighting that Iyer had previously made match-winning contributions in the UAE during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and warranted a spot on the team. Ramesh elaborated that players’ form and confidence should be acknowledged without delay.
‘Shreyas Iyer produced incredible performances in the same UAE in the Champions Trophy and should be a permanent fixture in India’s white-ball teams. Players need to be backed when they are high on confidence and in form and not when they fade away and lack confidence. This is the ideal time to reap the rewards of Iyer’s sky-high confidence and form,’ he added.
The former opener also criticized Gambhir’s overall coaching record. He pointed out that India’s recent drawn series in England is being celebrated merely because the team has faced difficulties in Tests recently. Prior to the England tour, India suffered two consecutive Test series defeats under Gambhir’s leadership, including a home series loss to New Zealand.
‘The drawn series in England looks like a great achievement only because we performed poorly in Test cricket over the past year. Because winning consistently abroad had started long back under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri. But now, just the drawn series in England gets looked at as a big achievement in Gambhir’s track record,’ Ramesh added.
This isn’t the first instance of Iyer being overlooked during Gambhir’s tenure as head coach. The Mumbai cricketer was anticipated to be selected for the England Test series but was ultimately left out of the squad. Gambhir and the Indian team management opted for Karun Nair instead. Additionally, Iyer is not even included on the reserve list for the Asia Cup, making it improbable that he will receive an opportunity even in the event of a last-minute injury.