Virender Sehwag questions Shreyas Iyer's omission from India Test team: 'He had a great season, he is also captain'
Shreyas Iyer wasn't a part of the 18-member squad that will travel to England for the Test series.
The BCCI announced Team India's squad for the Test series against England on Saturday, with Shubman Gill being named the new captain in red-ball format. Rishabh Pant was named his deputy, and while the squad saw the return of Karun Nair to the national setup after over eight years, a particular name was missing – Shreyas Iyer. The Indian batter, who is a regular in ODIs and has been in fine form over the past few months across formats, didn't find a place in the squad despite the recent retirements of India's two batting stalwarts, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag wasn't too happy with Iyer's omission from the squad, and during a Cricbuzz show during Delhi Capitals' win over Punjab Kings in IPL 2025, Sehwag urged the BCCI to consider Iyer for Test cricket.
“Definitely. He doesn't get much credit for his captaincy. Manoj (Tiwary) said that Rishabh Pant didn't get captaincy because his IPL season hasn't been great. But Iyer has had a great season, he is also the captain. Why can't he play in Test cricket? He can definitely play all three formats,” Sehwag said.
The former opener believes India should've capitalised on Iyer's form, stating that the batter's aggressive approach would've helped the side put pressure on England in away conditions.
“When you're in good form, it's good to take him to the tour because there are higher chances of him performing. I would want to see him in Test team. If he keeps the same approach in Test cricket, it benefits the team. If you have 2-3 players like that, it sets fear in the opposition. England plays at 6-7 runs/over. If Indian team even manages to play at 4-5 runs/over, they can put them under pressure,” said Sehwag.
Iyer's strong credentials
Since being dropped from the Indian Test team during the home series against England last year, Iyer grinded his way through the domestic circuit, playing a key role in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy title victory in the 2023/24 season. He continued to represent the state team in the last season, while also delivering consistent performances for Team India in ODIs.
Iyer was a key contributor in India's success at the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
