Courtesy: BCCI/X
India head coach Gautam Gambhir stayed silent on Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from the team’s Test squad against England for the upcoming five Tests, when the questioned was posted to him by a journalist. Following the declaration of India’s team for the much-awaited tour, there have been debates why the right-handed batter was ignored. Shreyas, who played his last international Test match in February 2024, has looked in fine touch with his bat recently. In the Ranji Trophy 2024/25, he smashed 480 runs for Mumbai in seven innings of five games at a notable average of 68.57. He maintained his form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where he has notched up 514 runs in 14 contests.
Despite his incredible efforts, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Indian team management didn’t pick him up in the 18-member side. Gambhir, who was addressing the media on May 28, was queried about Iyer’s omission. Responding to the question, the 43-year-old delivered a brief reply saying that he is not a selector. "I am not a selector".
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Shreyas Iyer’s side to take on RCB in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025
Shreyas Iyer will want his side to show their courageous side against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1 to be played in Mohali on May 29. PBKS will count on their batting attack to win the game as their top-order batters Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, and Josh Inglis are in sensational form along with Shreyas, who is their highest run-getter in this competition.
However, they have to be wary of RCB’s bowling unit which has looked ferocious this season. If Bengaluru inducts their fast-bowling spearhead Josh Hazlewood in the team, PBKS batters might face issues as the Australian has performed remarkably at this T20 event. This season, the Aussie has taken 18 wickets in just 10 games at an economy of 8.44.
