Shreyas Iyer may not have found a place in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming Asia Cup but his story is far from over. At 30, the stylish middle-order batter is being viewed by the selectors as a strong candidate for leadership in the ODI format, possibly even as Rohit Sharma’s successor. This shift in focus towards him is part of a bigger roadmap the BCCI is preparing for Indian cricket across all three formats.
The Indian selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, recently announced a 15-man squad for the Asia Cup in the UAE beginning September 9. Suryakumar Yadav remains captain while Shubman Gill has returned as vice-captain after a year away from T20Is. However, Shreyas Iyer was left out, with Agarkar openly questioning who he could displace in the current setup. Despite the omission, reports suggest that formal and informal discussions within the BCCI are already shaping India’s long-term leadership strategy.
The central idea is that one player should not shoulder the burden of leading India in all the formats. With the cricket calendar packed after a brief break following the England tour, officials are leaning towards appointing different captains for different formats. Shubman Gill, who is already Test captain, is being groomed for a future leadership role in T20Is as well but the BCCI appears cautious about overloading him.
This is where Shreyas Iyer comes in. According to reports, there is a real chance that he could be handed the ODI captaincy as early as October, when India hosts Australia. Much will depend on Rohit Sharma’s decision about his future in the format. At 38, Rohit has already stepped away from Tests and T20Is and if he also decides to retire from ODIs, Shreyas Iyer is the frontrunner to lead India into the next era. The 2027 ODI World Cup in Africa could well be his ultimate leadership destination.
Shubman Gill, meanwhile, will remain a central figure in red-ball cricket. He will lead India in the home Test series against West Indies in early October, before the team switches to white-ball duties against Australia. While Shubman Gill may not feature in the ODI leg of that tour, he is expected to play the T20I series. The tight schedule continues with South Africa visiting India in mid-November for another multi-format contest. With such relentless cricket ahead, it is clear that the selectors will need more than one leader to balance responsibilities.
In that context, Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from the Asia Cup squad looks less like a setback and more like a strategic pause. His future seems tied not to the shortest format but to the one-day game, where his temperament and experience could prove invaluable as India prepares for a generational change in leadership.
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