“It wasn't my decision to drop him” – When DC captain Shreyas Iyer lauded Gautam Gambhir for sitting out in IPL 2018 fixture

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir and Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer have been trending on social media ever since the BCCI announced the Team India squad for the 2025 Asia Cup. Several eyebrows were raised as Iyer failed to make it to the 15-member side.

Since the duo is trending, let us relive the IPL 2018 season when Gautam Gambhir dropped himself from the playing XI after relinquishing his captaincy at Delhi Capitals (DC) mid-season as Shreyas Iyer took charge. Following the selfless move, Iyer had lauded Gambhir for his decision to drop himself against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) due to poor form.

Notably, Gambhir had managed just 85 runs in five innings at an underwhelming strike rate of 96.59 with the best score of 55.

Iyer said (via Cricbuzz):

"I didn't make any call, to be honest. It wasn't my decision to drop him. He himself decided to sit out, which was really courageous decision with him being the captain in the previous matches.”

“The respect for him has gone really high. It's really [good to] see when a captain, if he's not playing well, he backs out. Colin [Munro] came in and gave us the desired start.”

In that match, Colin Munro gave DC a promising start after replacing Gambhir, scoring 33 runs off 18 balls. Iyer led from the front, scoring an unbeaten 93 off 40 deliveries to help his side win the game by 55 runs to end their three-match losing streak.

Gambhir and Iyer then joined hands at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2024 season. The former was appointed as their mentor, with Iyer leading the side after missing the 2023 season due to an injury. The duo helped KKR end their 10-year trophy drought with their third IPL trophy.

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“Thought he was going to be captain” – Former Australian cricketer on Shreyas Iyer’s absence from 2025 Asia Cup

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Brad Haddin recently expressed his surprise with the selectors' decision as Shreyas Iyer failed to make it to the India squad for the 2025 Asia Cup. While lauding him for his leadership skills, he felt that the right-hander could only lose his place due to an injury.

Haddin told WillowTalk podcast (via The Times of India):

“Well, one, leadership qualities. Two, the style of player he is under pressure, and he's someone that everyone plays better with when he's on the team. I had no idea. I first thought when I was reading it that he was injured, but he's not. So, it's a strange decision for me because he brings so much to the game. I actually thought he was going to be captain. Extraordinary selection.”

BCCI

@BCCI

🚨 #TeamIndia's squad for the #AsiaCup 2025 🔽 Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana,

As skipper, Shreyas Iyer won the IPL 2024 title with the Knight Riders. The 30-year-old then led PBKS to the IPL 2025 final. With the bat, he amassed 604 runs in 17 innings at a strike rate of 175.07, including six half-centuries last season.

Iyer’s last T20I came way back in December 2023 against Australia. The Mumbai batter has 1104 runs in 47 innings at a strike rate of 136.12, including eight fifties.