Home
Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) are yet to announce India's squad for the upcoming Test series against England. There were speculations that Shreyas Iyer might be considered for the all-important series, given his strong performance in the domestic cricket and the ongoing IPL 2025. However there are reports that Shreyas Iyer won't be considered for India's Test squad for the England tour despite his recent batting exploits. According to a TOI report, the star batter is likely to be omitted from India's Test set-up for the England tour.
Shreyas Iyer won't be selected in India's Test squad for England tour?
Iyer's last appearance in a Test match was against England, from which he was dropped midway through the series. However, he has been in excellent form over the past year, particularly in the Ranji Trophy. Playing for Mumbai, he scored 480 runs in five matches at an impressive average of 68.57, including two centuries in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. Additionally, Iyer is currently leading the Punjab Kings effectively, guiding them to the playoffs after a decade.
"Iyer's new stance, bold strokeplay, and carefree attitude to batting are all suited to the white-ball game now. The selectors aren't convinced about his red-ball skills," a source privy to the development said, as quoted by TOI.
Shreyas Iyer was also notably excluded from the annual contract list released by the BCCI. Despite this setback, Iyer has consistently delivered strong performances in an effort to regain his contract. With Virat Kohli's departure from Test cricket, several spots have opened up in India's middle order. Sarfaraz Khan, Sai Sudarshan, Karun Nair, and Shreyas Iyer are among the candidates vying for these positions. Interestingly, none of these players participated in India's last overseas Test series in Australia. While Sai, Nair, and Sarfaraz have been named in the India A squad, Iyer was also excluded from that selection. Both Nair and Sarfaraz have had exceptional domestic seasons and have been consistent performers for the past few years, whereas Iyer's strong first-class performances have primarily come this season.
According to sources, India's squad for the England tour is expected to comprise six specialist batters, two wicket-keepers, four all-rounders, five pacers, and one spinner. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are anticipated to open the batting, with Sai Sudarshan, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, and Shubman Gill joining them as pure batters. Shardul Thakur is likely to return to the squad alongside Kuldeep Yadav. The other all-rounders for the tour are expected to be Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Ravindra Jadeja. The pace attack is set to feature Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Akash Deep, and Jasprit Bumrah. However, Bumrah will not be available for the entire tour, as he has reportedly informed the BCCI that he will only play a maximum of three Test matches to manage his workload.
Meanwhile, India's Test squad for the England tour is likely to be announced on May 24, Saturday. Shubman Gill has emerged as the frontrunner for the captaincy role, especially given injury concerns surrounding Jasprit Bumrah, who has previously led India in three Tests, including two in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
The five-Test series against between India and England is scheduled to begin on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. Before the Test series officially starts, India will play a four-day warm-up match starting on June 13 at Kent County Cricket Ground, Beckenham.
ADVERTISEMENT
