With Shreyas Iyer’s stellar IPL 2025 performance—leading Punjab Kings to the final and scoring over 600 runs at a strike rate of 175.07—speculation surged about his potential return to India’s T20I squad and even a captaincy role. But his omission from the Asia Cup squad reignited a fiery debate across cricket circles.
India fast bowler Sandeep Sharma has now publicly dismissed the chatter, calling the captaincy comparison between Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav “senseless”.
Sandeep Sharma’s Take: IPL ≠ International Captaincy
“This debate that he (Iyer) took his team to the finals is senseless. Surya is not doing the captaincy of any franchise. But that’s not the criteria to be the captain of the Indian side,” Sharma told Crictracker.
He emphasized that IPL leadership doesn’t automatically translate to international captaincy credentials, citing Rohit Sharma’s tenure as India captain despite not leading any IPL franchise in recent years.
Shreyas Iyer vs Suryakumar Yadav Career Stats Comparison
| Format | Player | Matches | Runs | Batting Average | Strike Rate (Tests/ODIs) / Strike Rate (T20Is) | 100s | 50s | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | Shreyas Iyer | 14 | 811 | 37 | – | 1 | – | 105 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 1 | 8 | 8 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| ODIs | Shreyas Iyer | 70 | 2845 | 48 | 96 | 2 | 14 | – |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 37 | 773 | 26 | 105.03 | 0 | 4 | 72 | |
| T20Is | Shreyas Iyer | 51 | 1104 | 31 | 136.1 | 0 | 8 | 74 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 83 | 2598 | 38.2 | 167.07 | 4 | 21 | 117 | |
| IPL | Shreyas Iyer | 132 | 3730 | 34.53 | 133.40 | 0 | 27 | 97* |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 166 | 4311 | 23.38 | 143.3 / 143.32 | 2 | 29 | 103 |
Civic & Selection Context
The controversy underscores a broader tension in Indian cricket: the blurred lines between IPL performance and national team selection. Critics argue that domestic success should weigh more heavily, especially when players like Iyer consistently deliver under pressure.
Former cricketers like Manoj Tiwary and Monty Panesar have also questioned the selection process, suggesting that leadership potential may be sidelined for political or strategic reasons.
