Shreyas Iyer snubbed again: No room for him in India's Test team, says Agarkar

In a phase where the India Test set-up has been turned upside down with major exits, Shreyas Iyer still doesn't find any place. The batsman, who was dropped from the central contract of BCCI last year, scripted a major turnaround overall. Iyer lost the central contract as he didn't comply with the board's mandates of playing domestic tournaments. The Mumbai batter duly returned to the circuit and had an impeccable outing as the leader of the team that lifted the Irani Cup title and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last season. Currently active in IPL 2025, Iyer has led Punjab Kings to the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons. However, all of his performances have not paved the way for Iyer to crack into the Indian Test team.

Shreyas Iyer finds no space in the India squad for India vs England series despite the availability of spots

Shreyas Iyer played a crucial role in the ICC Champions Trophy campaign where Team India lifted the coveted trophy. While his exploits across domestic and international cricket led the BCCI to recall him in the central contract, Iyer is yet to ace a place in the Test setup. Early on Saturday, the BCCI chief selector announced the India squad for the India vs England Test series. Shubman Gill was named India's new Test captain while Rishabh Pant was named his deputy in the leadership role.

With the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, BCCI called up Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan in the India squad at the back of an impressive domestic season. Moreover, Abhimanyu Easwaran also joined the squad. However, despite the point of entry, BCCI didn't look at Shreyas Iyer as the prospect to be recalled into the longer format. Agarkar talked about the Iyer snub later in the press conference, specifying the lack of 'space' in the Test setup.

“Yes, Shreyas Iyer has played well in domestic cricket, but at the moment, there is no room for him in the Test Team.”

Unlike Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer was not named even in the India A squad for the England Tour. The move highlighted the board's intent on ignoring the Mumbai batter in Test cricket. Shreyas Iyer last featured in a Test match against England in Visakhapatnam in 2024. Across 14 Tests, he has amassed 811 runs at an average of 36.86, including one century and five fifties. More recently, in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, Iyer stood out with 480 runs from seven innings, averaging an impressive 68.57.