India's squad for the England tour saw the much-anticipated return of Karun Nair while a young star in the form of Sai Sudharsan also earned the nod from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee. However, one renowned name who was snubbed by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection team was Shreyas Iyer. Despite being a consistent performer for India in ODIs, especially in the Champions Trophy, Iyer was snubbed for a place in the nation's white-ball side.
Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag, baffled by Iyer's omission from the tour of England, questioned the BCCI over the middle-order batter's absence.
"Definitely. He doesn't get much credit for his captaincy. Manoj (Tiwary) said that Rishabh Pant didn't get captaincy because his IPL season hasn't been great. But Iyer has had a great season, he is also the captain. Why can't he play in Test cricket? He can definitely play all three formats," Sehwag said on Cricbuzz during a discussion on Iyer's absence from the Test side.
Iyer has been one of the most in-form batters in the Indian Premier League, while also leading the Punjab Kings to the playoffs. Sehwag didn't flinch while saying that he would've wanted Iyer in India's Test team on the England tour.
"When you're in good form, it's good to take him to the tour because there are higher chances of him performing. I would want to see him in Test team. If he keeps the same approach in Test cricket, it benefits the team. If you have 2-3 players like that, it sets fear in the opposition. England plays at 6-7 runs/over. If the Indian team even manages to play at 4-5 runs/over, they can put them under pressure," said Sehwag.
India's Full Test Squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk/vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal,
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