India cricket team chief selector Ajit Agakrar defended the decision to exclude Shreyas Iyer from the squad for the upcoming Test series against England. Despite participating and performing consistently in domestic tournaments, the Mumbai batter did not find a place in the 16-member squad. Shreyas last featured in a Test in February 2024 in the series against England at home.
Why was Iyer snubbed?
Speaking at a press conference, Ajit Agarkar explained that Iyer’s recent notable performances had come in white-ball cricket. He said that Shreyas still had to fight to fit in the Test side, adding that he needs to perform more in domestic cricket.
“He (Iyer) still needs to find room in the test squad and he needs to perform more in domestic cricket,” Agarkar said.
Shreyas last played a Test in February 2024 against England. He was then snubbed from the BCCI Central Contracts list for failing to play domestic red-ball cricket as per the BCCI’s mandate in the first half of 2024. However, he worked hard by taking part in all domestic red-ball tournaments in the latter half of the year, including Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy.
In Duleep Trophy, he scored 154 runs in 3 innings, averaging 25.66. Thereafter, his performance improved consistently as he took part in Ranji Trophy regularly. He managed to amass 480 runs in 5 matches, averaging 68.5 including two hundreds.
Iyer made his Test debut in 2021 and since then has played only 14 Tests. He has 811 runs to his name, averages 36.86 and has one hundred and five fifties to his name.
| Format | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 14 | 24 | 811 | 105 | 36.86 | 1 | 5 |
| FC | 81 | 137 | 6363 | 233 | 48.57 | 15 | 33 |
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