In a significant reshuffle of India’s Take a look at setup, the BCCI on Saturday named Shubman Gill as the brand new Take a look at captain and Rishabh Pant as his deputy for the upcoming residence collection towards England. The squad announcement noticed a mixture of surprises and comebacks, with Karun Nair returning to the red-ball fold after greater than eight years. Nevertheless, one evident omission caught the eye of followers and consultants alike — Shreyas Iyer, who has been persistently performing throughout codecs, was not noted of the Take a look at squad.
Virender Sehwag questions Shreyas Iyer’s absence from Indian Take a look at squad
Amongst these puzzled by this determination was former India opener Virender Sehwag, who overtly expressed his dissatisfaction following Delhi Capitals’ win over Punjab Kings in IPL 2025. Sehwag questioned the logic behind sidelining Iyer and urged selectors to re-evaluate their selections.
Notably, Iyer has not featured in India’s red-ball setup since being dropped through the England collection final 12 months. Since then, he has rebuilt his fame within the home circuit, taking part in an important position in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy triumph within the 2023-24 season and sustaining stable kind in ODIs. Sehwag highlighted Iyer’s kind and management qualities, emphasizing that the batter deserves a good run within the Take a look at format.
“He doesn’t get a lot credit score for his captaincy. Manoj (Tiwary) mentioned that Rishabh Pant didn’t get captaincy as a result of his IPL season hasn’t been nice. However Iyer has had a terrific season, he’s additionally the captain. Why can’t he play in Take a look at cricket? He can positively play all three codecs,” mentioned Sehwag on Cricbuzz.
Additionally READ: Ajit Agarkar explains Shreyas Iyer’s omission from India’s Test squad for the England tour
Sehwag explains how Iyer’s presence may gain advantage Indian group
Sehwag advised that India’s red-ball group may gain advantage from a extra dynamic strategy in batting, particularly with stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stepping away from the format. In response to Sehwag, Iyer’s fearless batting might inject new vitality into the lineup and power opposition groups on the backfoot.
“While you’re in good kind, it’s good to take him to the tour as a result of there are larger probabilities of him performing. I might wish to see him in Take a look at group. If he retains the identical strategy in Take a look at cricket, it advantages the group. In case you have 2-3 gamers like that, it units worry within the opposition. England performs at 6-7 runs/over. If Indian group even manages to play at 4-5 runs/over, they’ll put them underneath strain,” added Sehwag.
Additionally READ: Real reason behind Mohammed Shami’s absence from India’s Test squad for England tour revealed
