The aspirations of captain of Shreyas Iyer, Gambir blocking his return T20i?

Former England cricketer Monty Panesar has claimed that Shreyas Iyer’s leadership abilities might be the roadblock to his T20I return. Despite putting up consistent performances in domestic cricket and IPL 2025, the Mumbai batter was snubbed from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad. Panesar opined that Iyer’s abilities as a captain wasn’t required for Team India at the moment and hence he was being ignored from the side.

Why is Iyer being ignored from T20Is?

Speaking to India Today, Panesar pointed out that the leadership abilities that Iyer brings to the table wasn’t needed for India at the moment as they already had it covered. He said that the Men in Blue would rather give the opportunity to a younger player and someone whom head coach Gautam Gambhir can easily manage.

“One of the reasons 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 Gambhir,” Panesar said.

Make no mistake, Iyer has achieved a lot in the last one year since his snub from the BCCI Central contracts. From leading KKR to a title win in IPL 2024 to captaining Mumbai in VHT and SMAT, to leading PBKS in a successful IPL 2025 season, Iyer has seen it all. Panesar claimed that Iyer deserved a spot in the Indian team if he continues amassing runs regularly.

“So I think he being the captain in IPL, makes it a bit difficult for him to get into that team. But I do believe, if he keeps scoring runs, he should be playing. But it’s just the talent, the talent is unbelievable. I think India has never been so blessed and lucky that they can pull out probably 2 to 3 teams right now and compete against the world,” Panesar added.