Days after sidestepping a question on Shreyas Iyer’s omission from the Indian Test squad by saying `I am not a selector`, India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday offered a more measured response during the team’s pre-departure press conference for the England tour.
“Anyone can be called if you are in form. We can only pick 18. The chairman of selectors have answered the questioned,” Gambhir said.
Iyer, who is currently enjoying a purple patch in his career, was surprisingly left out of the squad for the five-match Test series against England beginning June 20 in Leeds. Iyer recently led Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 final and has performed consistently in domestic red-ball cricket as well as in recent white-ball outings for India.
Despite this strong form, Iyer did not make the cut for the prestigious Test series. His exclusion has triggered widespread debate among fans and analysts, with many questioning whether the team management and selectors have overlooked a player in peak touch.
BCCI Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar had earlier addressed the media, shedding light on the rationale behind Iyer’s omission. “Shreyas had a good one-day series, played well in domestic as well, but right now there is no room (for him) in Test cricket,” he had said during the squad announcement in Mumbai last month.
Iyer’s record in Test cricket speaks of both promise and areas for improvement.
- Innings played: 24
- Runs scored: 811
- Highest score: 105
- Half-centuries: 5
- Centuries: 1
- Fours/Sixes: 94/16
- Batting average: 36.86
- Strike rate: 63.01
Although not stellar, Iyer’s Test numbers reflect a steady performer with the capability to anchor an innings or shift gears when needed. His recent success in limited-overs formats and domestic cricket has made his non-selection even more puzzling to many.
With Shubman Gill leading India in his first full Test assignment as captain, the tour of England will be closely watched, not just for the outcome on the field, but also for the selection dynamics off it.
India Test squad
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
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