New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- Former leg-spinner Amit Mishra believes Shreyas Iyer's perplexing snub from India's Asia Cup squad was driven by the tactical ploy of maintaining a right and left combination in the middle order in the batting unit.

Since being dropped from the BCCI's central contract list for 2024, Shreyas has dazzled on the field. Armed with his prolific form, he led Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 final, the franchise's first in the last decade.

After a terrific 604-run season at 50-plus average in the cash-rich league, Shreyas made a compelling case for himself to be one of the names to pop up on the 15-member list. He was bypassed from the Indian team and even from the travelling reserves, triggering outrage among fans and former...