New Delhi: Former India batter Virender Sehwag has raised questions on Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from India’s squad for their upcoming Test series against England. The Ajit Agarkar-led senior men’s selection panel announced India’s 18-man squad for the five-match Test series against England on Saturday, May 25. While Shubman Gill was appointed as India’s new captain in Tests, Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur made their comebacks in the longest format.
There were no major surprises as the selectors handed debuts to left-hand batter Sai Sudharsan and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. However, Iyer was among the notable exclusions from the squad. Many believed Iyer should have made the cut, considering his prolific run with the bat in both international and domestic cricket over the last year.
Iyer was dropped from India’s Test squad last year and has since failed to make a comeback despite having done well consistently across competitions. Speaking on Cricbuzz, Sehwag expressed his surprise at Shreyas’ non-inclusion and questioned why he can’t play Test cricket. Sehwag said the Mumbai batter can be an all-format player for India.
“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,” said Sehwag.
Sehwag also explained how having a batter of Iyer’s quality could have helped India put pressure on England during the Test series. The former opener, who was known for his aggressive approach in all formats, explained how Iyer’s ability to score quickly could have benefited India as it would have helped them create pressure on the England bowling attack.
“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,” Sehwag added.
Former India batter Virender Sehwag questioned Shreyas Iyer’s absence in India’s Test squad for the upcoming series against England. Iyer was snubbed despite his prolific run in domestic and international cricket. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
