Gautam Gambhir Shrugs Off Shreyas Iyer Test Snub Questions Ahead of England Tour

India are about to turn a big page in their Test cricket journey, but one name missing from the squad has raised plenty of eyebrows — Shreyas Iyer. Despite a red-hot IPL 2025 campaign and solid domestic performances, Iyer hasn’t found a place in the 18-man squad for the five-Test series in England, which begins on June 20.

What’s making the omission even harder to digest for fans is the fact that India are entering a new era, with veterans Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin all having bid farewell to Test cricket after the Australia tour earlier this year. This marks the start of a full-fledged transition. Shubman Gill has been handed the reins as captain, while Rishabh Pant has been named vice-captain. Karun Nair, who hasn’t played Test cricket in nearly a decade, has also made a surprise comeback. But no Iyer.  

Gautam Gambhir, who recently took over as India’s head coach, was asked about the exclusion during an event, and his response was as blunt as it gets: “I am not a selector.” And that’s all he said — no elaboration, no sympathy, no explanations.  

Iyer’s absence has become one of the talking points since the squad was announced. The 29-year-old had a strong Ranji Trophy season, scoring 480 runs in five games at an average of 68.57, including two centuries. More importantly, he looked to have addressed a key flaw in his game — handling short-pitched bowling — which had been a lingering issue in red-ball cricket. That technical tweak was evident during the Champions Trophy earlier this year, where he ended up as India’s highest run-scorer and second overall in the tournament. Since then, he’s been on fire in the IPL, leading Punjab Kings to the top of the league stage and within striking distance of a maiden title. 

Yet, none of that was enough. When asked about Iyer’s omission last week, the BCCI’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar had offered a brief explanation: “Shreyas had a good one-day series, played well in domestic as well, but right now there is no room in Test cricket.” 

It’s a tough pill to swallow for a batter who announced himself in Test cricket with a debut century back in 2021 and has since compiled 811 runs from 14 Tests at an average of 36.86 — with one hundred and five fifties. His last appearance came earlier this year in the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam. Despite the numbers and recent form, it seems Iyer has slipped through the cracks in the current setup. Whether it's a temporary exclusion or something deeper remains to be seen. For now, though, Gambhir isn’t giving anything away. 

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