Out-of-favour India batter Ajinkya Rahane shared his opinion on his Mumbai teammate Shreyas Iyer's snub from the Men in Blue's squad for Asia Cup 2025. Selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar announced India's 15-member squad for the continental tournament on Tuesday through a press-conference. One of the main talking points of the conference was the selectors not picking Shreyas despite the batter's brilliant performance in both the ICC Champions Trophy and IPL 2025.
Rahane feels that Shreyas must be gutted to not get picked despite having performed incredible well with the bat whenever he got the chance. However, he didn't criticise the selectors for this decision either and pointed out that they can only pick 15 players in the squad and also need to ensure that the side is well-balanced.
“I'm sure he (Shreyas Iyer) must be really disappointed considering the kind of IPL he had. It was a fantastic season. Even in domestic cricket, especially in the 50-over format, he has performed really well whenever given opportunities. I can completely understand the team management’s point of view, since they can only pick 15 players and need to see the balance of the team,” Rahane said in a YouTube video.
“The only thing I want to see and I want to know is that a proper communication from selectors and team management with Shreyas. He's an important member of the team and I'm sure in the coming years or in the future he's going to be part of the T20 format as well. So communication is the key from the selectors to Shreyas Iyer,” he added.
Rahane steps down from Mumbai's captaincy
Meanwhile, Rahane has decided to leave the captaincy role for Mumbai's Ranji team. The 37-year-old took to social media to announce his decision of stepping down from the position. In the post, the batter also confirmed that he wiull continue to represent the side as a player.
“Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour. With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it's right time to groom a new leader, and hence I've decided not to continue in the captaincy role," Rahane wrote on social media.
“I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with MCA to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season," he added.