Gautam Gambhir indirectly blames Ajit Agarkar for Shreyas Iyer's exclusion from India Test squad for England tour

With Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma having retired from Test cricket after the tour of Australia, the Indian team is all set to enter the much-awaited transition phase with the start of the England tour in late June. Shubman Gill has been appointed captain as the selectors named the squad last week, with Rishabh Pant as his deputy. The team also saw Karun Nair return after nine years. Shreyas Iyer failed to make the cut for the England Test tour

One of the most notable omissions from the Test squad was Shreyas Iyer, who was rumoured to be a likely selection after Kohli's sudden retirement. Moreover, he had a decent Ranji Trophy to back his selection, having scored 480 runs in five matches last season, comprising two centuries, at 68.57. The most standout factor in that run was Iyer overcoming his vulnerability against the short ball, which was largely on display during the Champions Trophy earlier this year, where he emerged as India's leading run-getter and second in the competition. An exceptional run followed this in the ongoing IPL 2025, where he led the Punjab Kings to the top of the table in the league stage, as they now stand two wins away from winning their maiden title. Yet, Iyer failed to make the cut for the Test team.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event, Gambhir was asked about Iyer's exclusion, but the India head coach did not seem interested in the question at all. "I am not a selector," was his terse reply, and he instantly chose to focus on a question around BCCI inviting the chiefs of the country's armed forces to attend the IPL final on June 3 in Ahmedabad.

What had Ajit Agarkar said about Iyer's exclusion?

The BCCI chief selector had earlier addressed the query regarding Iyer not finding a place in the Indian Test team for the tour of England. Speaking to the media after the squad announcement in Mumbai last week, he had said: "Shreyas had a good one-day series, played well in domestic as well, but right now there is no room in Test cricket."

The Mumbai batter last appeared in Test cricket in January 2024, before he was dropped from the squad midway through the home series against England. Few reports had, however, indicated that it was an injury concern that led to his release from the squad. This was followed by a fiasco around his unavailability for Mumbai's then-ongoing Ranji season, despite a mandate from the BCCI regarding domestic participation. Although he did make himself available during the final two matches, the board had already taken action against him and dropped him from the central contract.

Click here to read article