Has the Test snub ignited the fire in Shreyas Iyer that led PBKS to the IPL 2025 Final?

There are a number of platforms where a player needs to perform to catch the attention of the selectors in India. Perform in domestic tournaments, back that up with consistency, and reach the masses with IPL, and the chances are for the BCCI to call up the newcomer in the national team. Over the last year, Shreyas Iyer has done it all, nailing it to near perfection. The 30-year-old is no rookie either, having already traced his way into the Indian team on previous occasions. The BCCI still keeps Iyer toiling on the edge in Test cricket selection. Meanwhile, the latest snub from the India squad for the England Tour has likely fired up Shreyas Iyer, who has led Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025.

Shreyas Iyer snubbed from India squad for the England Test Series

Shreyas Iyer lost his central contract with the BCCI after failing to fulfil multiple mandates of the board directing the batter to play domestic cricket. Though the Mumbai batter lost his contract, it served as a wake-up call for Iyer, who duly joined the Mumbai squad for the last domestic cycle. The 30-year-old claimed the leading position and piled up runs across formats, in the Ranji Trophy and SMAT. The leader led Mumbai to the Irani Cup title and the SMAT 2024-2025 title to mark a successful end to the cycle. Following his domestic stint, Iyer joined the India squad for the ODI series against England at home.

An injury to Virat Kohli right ahead of the 1st India vs England ODI laid the path for Iyer to join the Playing XI. The middle-order batter impressed with a half-century, grabbing the opportunity to claim a permanent spot. Consequently, Iyer earned a permanent spot in the Indian Playing XI for the ICC Champions Trophy. The batter justified his selection, hitting the most runs for India in the tournament where the Men in Blue picked the coveted trophy. Following yet another successful campaign, Iyer turned to IPL 2025 where he joined Punjab Kings as the captain.

The IPL 2024 title-winning captain led Punjab Kings to their first IPL playoff in over a decade, headlining the campaign with his batting. Iyer's consistent exploits across formats and tournaments, however, fell on deaf ears. Despite the India Test squad having empty spots after the retirements of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, the BCCI didn't call up Shreyas Iyer. The India squad for India vs England included the names of Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan, getting a pat on the back for their impressive domestic run. Moreover, Shubman Gill claimed the Indian Test captaincy spot after Rohit's retirement. Iyer, meanwhile, couldn't even ace a spot in the India A squad for the Tour.

When asked, the BCCI chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, dismissed Iyer's snub with a casual, "We don't have room for him." However, the stars aligned seamlessly for Shreyas Iyer to finally track his way back into the Indian Test setup. The batsman is in form, there are spots available. Iyer, much like Nair and Sudharsan, scripted an impressive run in First-Class cricket. What else is required for the Mumbai batter to do for a selection call remains a mystery.

The snub has made Shreyas Iyer hungrier to earn the IPL 2025 glory for Punjab Kings, says Ricky Ponting

After leading Punjab Kings to a 5-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2, Shreyas Iyer became the only captain in IPL history to take three different teams to the final. In the thriller against MI, Iyer's unbeaten 87-run knock made the difference. Iyer dug Bumrah's yorker from the pitch to send them to the boundary. Now, Iyer has brought PBKS to the verge of claiming their maiden IPL title. Meanwhile, the PBKS head coach, Ricky Ponting, has cited the snub from the England Tour as a factor behind Iyer's brilliance in IPL 2025.

"I actually was gutted… but he's accepted that really well and he's moved on," Ponting said. "He's just got that real hunger in his eyes to do well every time that he plays for us here and wants to win games of cricket and wants to evolve and develop into the best leader and captain that he can be."

The head coach talked about Iyer being disappointed at being ignored. However, Ponting informed that the PBKS captain moved on swiftly. As for Ponting, the coach was hit harder by the news of Iyer's snub. The former Australian captain talked about the fact that other players were selected for their domestic performances and IPL stints. But the case remained different for Iyer. Ponting believes that it made Iyer hungrier to do well for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 playoffs.

"Certain other players that have been picked in that (Test) squad have done it on the back of good first-class cricket and good IPL seasons leading up to that selection and Shreyas has done absolutely everything the same as some of those other players," Ponting noted. "So I was disappointed that he didn't get picked as I actually felt that he would get picked. But he didn't. And I think that probably makes him a little bit hungrier for us when these playoff games come around."