"They did not go for Rahul" - Former opener reacts to Shreyas Iyer's leadership role in India's ODI squad for Australia

Former opener Aakash Chopra has stated that the decision to appoint Shreyas Iyer as vice-captain of India's ODI squad for Australia is proof of how much weightage is given to IPL success. He added that the selectors could have looked at KL Rahul as well for the post of vice-captain, but opined that the decision to go for Shreyas is a step in the forward direction as the team moves into transition.

Team India's squads for the ODI and T20I series to be played in Australia later in the month were announced on Saturday, October 4. While Shubman Gill was named captain, replacing Rohit Sharma, Shreyas was picked as vice-captain ahead of Rahul - one of the senior-most members of the current team.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra shared his views on the decision to name Shreyas as vice-captain. Referring to the batter's success as leader in the IPL, the former India opener commented:

"That is big news. The fact that Shreyas Iyer has been made vice-captain proves that IPL performances are valued a lot. KL Rahul could also have been vice-captain. Since 2020, he has been performing consistently, but he doesn’t even seem in contention. Shreyas Iyer was picked as he led KKR to victory in IPL and also took Punjab to the final. He is being seen as a mainstay in the ODI set-up.

"This is part of a transition. The selectors don’t want to look backwards. Hence, they did not go for Rahul. They went for Shreyas, who fits into the scheme of things looking forward," the 48-year-old went on to add.

Shreyas was a key member of the Indian team that won the Champions Trophy in the UAE earlier this year. He was the side's leading run-getter in the tournament, smashing 243 runs in five innings at an average of 48.60 and a strike rate of 79.41. The right-handed batter scored 45 in the semifinal against Australia and 48 in the final against New Zealand.

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Shreyas Iyer has impressed many as captain in the IPL

Shreyas has been highly impressive as captain in the IPL over the years. Under him, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the T20 league in 2024. Having moved to Punjab Kings (PBKS) for the 2025 season, the 30-year-old led his new franchise to the final. PBKS, however, went down to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Under him, Delhi Capitals (DC) also finished runners-up in 2020.

The aggressive right-handed batter led from the front in PBKS' IPL 2025 campaign. In 17 matches, he amassed 604 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07. The Punjab skipper struck six fifties, with a best of 97*.