Aakash Chopra On Shreyas Iyer Test Snub: Indian batsman Shreyas Iyer has not been included in the 16-man squad for the first of two Tests against Bangladesh. Now, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has said that he sees no place for Iyer in the national red-ball squad.
Shreyas has been, at different points in his career, has been a regular in every format for the Indian Cricket Team. It has only been in 2024 that not only was he kept out of the squad in all three formats, but also not provided with a central contract. And while that might have happened due to him not playing any domestic cricket in his downtime, not being centrally contracted despite being a regular means that he was no longer in the selection committee’s plans.
The IPL 2024-winning captain with the Kolkata Knight Riders is currently playing in the Duleep Trophy and is captaining India D. With over a month-long break in national team fixtures, this tournament was being looked at as the testing ground for all team India prospects, with their performances playing some role in their selection for the squad for the upcoming Tests against Bangladesh.
While Shreyas Iyer did score a 50 in the first match against India C in a losing cause, he was not picked by the India team for the first Test against the Bangla Tigers.
Aakash Chopra On Shreyas Iyer Test Snub
Following his snub from the national team once again, former cricketer and now cricket pundit Aakash Chopra commented on the situation in a video on his YouTube channel. He recalled that the last time India and Bangladesh played a test match in December 2022, Iyer did well, as he scored two 80+ scores in three innings across two games.
“It’s interesting that last time when we beat Bangladesh in Bangladesh, Shreyas Iyer gave a very important performance in the last match. We won because he played a crucial knock, but since then, the world has changed. I don’t see any chances for Shreyas Iyer in Tests at the moment,” said Chopra.
Aakash then went on to say that even certain names like Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, and Druv Jurel who are in the squad will likely not be a part of the playing XI.
“Whoever is there will also not be able to play all the matches. The guys who are part of this team, which includes Sarfaraz, KL Rahul, and Dhruv Jurel, I feel they only won’t be able to come in the XI. So where will Shreyas Iyer come in this?”
Shreyas Iyer most recently was part of the Indian team that played in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which the Men in Blue lost 2-0.
As for the India vs Bangladesh Test series, the first match will commence on September 19 and will be played in Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium. The second game will be played be played from September 27 in Kanpur’s Green Park.
Here is the selected 16-man squad for the first Test:
Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, and Yash Dayal.
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