The non-selection of Shreyas Iyer for India’s upcoming Test tour of England has disappointed many in the Indian cricket fraternity, who believed that the Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer had earned a spot in the Test team after a hot run of form across formats in recent months. Despite his importance to India’s triumphant ICC Champions Trophy campaign and excellent form across domestic, First-class and IPL cricket, Shreyas Iyer continues to be on the outside of India’s plans in Test cricket.
Shreyas Iyer last represented India in Test cricket last year when England had made their way to India. He was dropped after two Tests and has failed to be in contention ever since. From that point, Shreyas Iyer has done well for Mumbai as far as the domestic circuit is concerned. He registered 480 runs in seven innings in the 2024-25 edition of the Ranji Trophy.
BCCI overlooked Shreyas Iyer’s leadership potential which could have been decisive factor for India’s new look team in England
Shreyas Iyer was one of the players who was in-demand amongst fans and pundits to be on the tour of England despite his struggles against the red ball in SENA conditions, particularly due to his improvements in technique against the short ball, as well as the experience and the leadership quality he could bring to the table. In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both recently retired from Test cricket, this was seen as a must-have.
Nevertheless, despite his average of 68.57 in this prior season’s Ranji Trophy campaign as well as his streak of run-scoring in white ball for India and Punjab Kings, Shreyas Iyer missed out on Gautam Gambhir’s team yet again. This follows after he was removed from the BCCI’s central contract list in 2024, and although he was reinstated this year, his absence has caused a response from many within Indian cricket.
The right-handed batter Shreyas Iyer’s last Test match appearance for India came during the second Test against England in Vizag in 2024. After not being among the runs, he was dropped for the remaining three matches. Since then, as far as red-ball cricket is concerned, Shreyas Iyer has played in the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament, the Duleep Trophy, and the Ranji Trophy. He scored 480 runs in five matches for Mumbai in their Ranji semi-final run under Ajinkya Rahane
Former Indian cricketer, Mohammad Kaif, conveyed his dissatisfaction with the Indian selectors’ call of opting for Sai Sudharsan over Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming five-match Test series of England. The 18-member squad for the red-ball tour was announced on Saturday, May 24.
Mohammad Kaif raises the selection of Sai Sudharsan over Shreyas Iyer
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif questioned Sai Sudharsan’s selection for the England tour on the basis of his white-ball exploits over the experienced Shreyas Iyer. The left-handed batter earned his maiden red-ball call-up after narrowly missing out on one during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series.
Following Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test retirements, Team India are tasked with reinforcing the batting unit altogether. While KL Rahul is likely to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, there is a major question mark over the next two spots. Newly appointed captain Shubman Gill will take up a slot, which leaves room for one more. The likes of Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, and Abhimanyu Easwaran are expected to be in contention for the same
Shreyas Iyer’s absence was addressed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who mentioned that there is no place for the right-handed batter in the team at the moment.
“Yes, Shreyas Iyer has played well in domestic cricket, but at the moment, there is no room for him in the Test Team,” Agarkar said during the squad announcement press conference.
Mohammad Kaif, however, pointed out that if white-ball performances were being considered for Test team selection, then Shreyas Iyer has an equal, if not bigger, say than Sai Sudarshan in that regard.
“Sai Sudharsan is a brilliant player, no doubt. But he was picked in the Test squad after a good IPL season (679 runs and counting). Iyer, meanwhile, has been doing well for so long.
He scored some 550 runs in the 2023 ODI World Cup and in the Champions Trophy as well. He is still doing a terrific job with the bat for Punjab Kings – 514 runs and counting. He is captaining too. So on one hand, you are considering white-ball criteria for one player and not for the other,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel (via India Today).
Team India’s tour of England begins with the series opener in Headingley, Leeds on June 20. The five-match series officially kicks off the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Well, Shreyas Iyer will be seen in action on Thursday, May 29, when Punjab Kings will take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 of the ongoing IPL 2025 in Chandigarh.
Also Read:Â ENG vs IND : Shubman Gill Appointed Test Skipper For Red Ball