'Other players that have been picked...': PBKS coach Ricky Ponting blasts BCCI for snubbing Shreyas Iyer from England Tests

Shreyas Iyer wasn't given a place in the India squad that is set to tour England 

Ponting, who is currently the coach of the IPL side that is captained by Iyer, admitted that he was left 'gutted' with BCCI's decision to overlook the 30-year-old from India's Test set-up.

"I actually was gutted...but he's accepted that really well and he's moved on. 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," Ponting said on the ICC Review ahead of the IPL final.

Ponting added that he was also disappointed with the decision because many other players had made it to the squad because of their fantastic performances at the domestic circuit and in IPL, but Iyer wasn't given a spot despite giving impressing on both fronts as well.

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"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 stated.

"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," he concluded.

Iyer last featured in Tests for India in the home series against England that took place during the opning months of 2024. The batter failed to impress throughout the series and was thus dropped from the side. The PBKS skipper is yet to make a return to the format for the Men in Blue.

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Meanwhile, Iyer will be looking to guide PBKS to their first IPL title in history when he takes the field against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final at the Narendra Modi stadium on June 3.