Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has questioned the team management for not playing Shreyas Iyer in the playing XI in the fourth T20I against New Zealand, which the visitors won by 50 runs on Wednesday. Ishan Kishan, who played in the first three matches of the series, was ruled out of the fourth game due to a niggle.
In his place, India added Arshdeep Singh to the final XI and played with six batters. Chopra said Iyer should have played in place of Ishan Kishan in the penultimate match of the series.
Iyer last played a T20I in December 2023 and scored 604 runs in 17 matches of IPL 2025 at an average of 50.33 and a blistering strike rate of 175.07.
The renowned commentator added the selectors should have added players like Shahbaz Ahmed and Ayush Badoni to the squad if they were not going to play Iyer in the T20I series against the Kiwis.
“My biggest point is, why have you kept Shreyas Iyer in the team? When Tilak Varma got injured, I was the one who said Shreyas shouldn’t be played because his name is not in the World Cup squad. However, when Ishan Kishan got injured, you had no other batter sitting outside,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Shreyas wasn’t in the initial plans, but we cannot play with six batters and five proper bowlers, with Harshit Rana at No. 7. I dare say, what’s the logic of making Shreyas Iyer sit out now? If you didn’t want to play him, you could have kept Ayush Badoni or Shahbaz Ahmed. I can take four other names you could have kept,” he added.
Chopra said the team’s think tank should not bother about social media and they should have given Iyer a chance.
“This was the chance where you should have played him. If you feel there will be a ruckus on social media if he scores runs in a match, let it happen. Your job is to play with at least seven batters. You need an all-rounder at No. 8. Don’t change that philosophy at least,” he said.
“Don’t make Shreyas Iyer sit out like this. I think the decision to bench him was grossly incorrect. If you have decided to make him sit out, send him home. Let him go and play something else. I am unable to understand the logic of him being here,” Chopra observed.
The fifth and final T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Thiruvanthapuram on Saturday.
