The BCCI snubbed Shreyas Iyer on Saturday, excluding the PBKS skipper from the India squad for upcoming five-match Test series in England. The squad was announced by chief selector Ajit Agarkar and former player Shiv Sunder Das in Mumbai.
Iyer was not even selected for the India A squad, who travel to England for two 4-day matches, followed by an intra-squad against the Indian senior team.
Also Read: Shubman Gill is India's 37th Test captain: Full list of players who have led the Indian cricket team in Test matches
Ajit Agarkar on Shreyas Iyer
Dropping his verdict on Iyer’s Test future, Agarkar had bad news for the batter. He said, “Yes, Shreyas Iyer has played well in domestic cricket, but at the moment, there is no room for him in the Test Team.”
In the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, Iyer registered 480 runs at an average of 68.57 in seven innings, and also had an excellent Champions Trophy campaign, which India won. He has also been in good form in IPL 2025, leading PBKS to the playoffs for the first time in eleven years. He had a lean patch in Tests last year, registering 187 runs at an average of 17 in his previous 12 innings.
{{/usCountry}}In the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, Iyer registered 480 runs at an average of 68.57 in seven innings, and also had an excellent Champions Trophy campaign, which India won. He has also been in good form in IPL 2025, leading PBKS to the playoffs for the first time in eleven years. He had a lean patch in Tests last year, registering 187 runs at an average of 17 in his previous 12 innings.
{{/usCountry}}Iyer last played a Test vs England in Vishakapatnam in 2024, and has smacked 811 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 36.86, packed with a ton ad five half-centuries.
Meanwhile, Agarkar also excluded Sarfaraz Khan from the squad, and Nair was a huge inclusion. Agarkar said, “It's fair on somebody, it's unfair on someone else. At the moment, he (Karun Nair) has scored heaps of runs. He has played a bit of county cricket.”
“Sometimes you just have to make good decisions. Sarfaraz, I know he got a 100 in the first Test (against New Zealand) and then didn't get runs. Sometimes these are decisions the team management takes. At the moment, Karun has scored heaps of runs in domestic, has played a bit of Test cricket, played a bit of county cricket. With Virat not there, clearly we're lacking a bit of experience. We felt his experience could help,” he added.
According to Agarkar, it looks like BCCI has decided to go ahead with Nair in Kohli’s position in the Test team, and have ignored Iyer.