Reports: Shreyas Iyer himself denied West Zone captaincy offer for Duleep Trophy

The Duleep Trophy 2025 is just a few days away, and the reigning runners-up from the zonal event, West Zone, have named star India all-rounder Shardul Thakur as their captain of the squad for the upcoming tournament. However, the Thane-born was never the first choice captain for the series, as the zonal selectors were more inclined towards giving the skipper's hat to star batter Shreyas Iyer.

If the reports are to be believed, the selection committee chairman Sanjay Patil had given an offer to Iyer for leading the West Zone side in the premier red-ball competition, but the ace cricketer did not show any interest in the same. The denial by the Mumbai-born meant that West Zone contacted Shardul, earmarking him as a potential leader, which he gladly said yes to.

"Yes, it's true that Iyer declined the offer from the West Zone selection committee to captain the team. Following that, committee chairman Sanjay Patil, who is also the Mumbai chief selector, approached Thakur to lead the side-an opportunity Thakur gladly accepted," a source was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror newspaper.

Iyer ignored for Asia Cup

For the unversed, Shreyas Iyer was ignored by the All India Men's Senior Selection Committee for a place in India's squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. His exclusion sent shockwaves in the Indian cricketing fraternity, as his spot looked certain following his stellar run in the Indian Premier League with Punjab Kings (PBKS), where he scored 604 runs in 17 matches, averaging over 50.

Leaving the disappointment aside, the young right-handed batter will be shifting his focus to First-Class cricket, as he would play a crucial role in West Zone's middle-order. Their top-order has star inclusions in the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harvik Desai, while the bulk of the middle order load will be carried by Iyer alongside Sarfaraz Khan.

West Zone squad

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harvik Desai, Aarya Desai, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Shreyas Iyer, Tanush Kotian, Shams Mulani, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Arzan Nagwaswalla, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale, Jaymeet Patel