New Delhi: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has questioned Shreyas Iyer’s absence from India’s squad for the upcoming Test series against England. Iyer has been enjoying a prolific run with the bat over the past year, with impressive performances across tournaments. However, he was snubbed from the Test squad for the England series, which was announced last month.
The selectors handed maiden Test call-up to left-hand batter Sai Sudharsan for the five-match series, while senior batter Karun Nair made his comeback after eight years. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill was appointed as India’s new Test captain after the retirement of the senior duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. However, Iyer was ignored despite his recent heroics.
Questioning the Mumbai batter’s absence from the Test squad, Ganguly praised Iyer for his consistent performances over the last year and said he has scored runs under pressure. Ganguly also pointed out that the right-hander has worked on his short-ball issues and has been playing the short ball well.
“He has been playing at his best in the last one year, and should have been in this team. Last one year has been fantastic for him. He is the player who got left out. He is now scoring under pressure, taking responsibility, playing the short ball well. Although Test cricket’s different, I would have had him in this series to see what he can do,” Ganguly told RevSportz.
Iyer last featured in a Test match for India in the home Test series against England last year. He was dropped midway through the series after suffering an injury and has since failed to make his comeback in the whites. Many believe Iyer deserves a recall in the Test team, considering his performances in the domestic circuit, IPL and for India in white-ball cricket.
Iyer scored 480 runs for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 at an average of 68.57, including two centuries. He notched up 325 runs in 5 innings for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, including two tons. He was the second-highest run-getter for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament with 345 runs and top-scored for India in the Champions Trophy 2025 with 243 runs.
Ganguly backs India to beat England in Test series
Despite India heading into the challenging five-match Test series against England with a relatively young squad and a new captain in charge, Ganguly believes the visitors can win the series. Ganguly said Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling will be the key for India if they are to fancy their chances. He also backed the young Indian batting line-up to do well in England.
“Yes, sure. We just need two things, batting well and (Jasprit) Bumrah remaining fit. We won in Australia, in Melbourne (2020-21), with a young batting line-up, having no (Virat) Kohli, no Rohit Sharma. So, I do not see why we cannot win,” said Ganguly.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly said Shreyas Iyer has worked on his short ball problem and has been playing well, as he questioned the batter’s absence in India’s Test squad for the England series. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
