According to Aakash Chopra, Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from the final three Tests against England is attributed to his batting approach in the second Test. Despite scoring 104 runs with an average of 26.00 in the first two games, Shreyas was not selected, reportedly due to complaints of a stiff back and groin pain, as announced by the Indian selectors on Saturday, February 10.
Aakash Chopra, in a video on his YouTube channel, suggested that Shreyas Iyer could have been available for the final two Tests against England. However, Chopra expressed his opinion that Shreyas’ batting approach in the Visakhapatnam Test, as opposed to Shubman Gill’s, might have influenced the selectors not to include him:
“Reports say that he was available for selection because there are three matches. So even if he wasn’t available for one match, he could have been available for the remaining two matches. So he was available for selection. However, the selectors said that they weren’t going to pick him. Shubman Gill was also in the same boat but he never looked ugly. People said that about Shreyas in the Vizag Test match and what they said wasn’t wrong,” the former India opener added.
Chopra observed that Shreyas Iyer was stepping away while facing James Anderson and even the spinners during the first innings of the second Test.
“In the Vizag match, he was backing away while playing every short ball. It just does not look nice. If you start playing like that, a question comes for sure why he is playing like that because that just did not look right.”
Chopra pointed out that Shreyas Iyer has not scored a half-century in his last 13 Test innings, and he suggested that this combined with his approach might have lacked confidence in the selectors and the team management.
“This problem is going to repeatedly come in Test cricket till he addresses it completely” – Aakash Chopra on Shreyas Iyer
Chopra emphasized that Shreyas Iyer needs to work on addressing his technical issues to find success in Test cricket.
“Shreyas Iyer had a very good World Cup. I feel his white-ball cricket is going to remain good. The way he bats, he will continue playing very well, but this problem is going to repeatedly come in Test cricket till he addresses it completely.”
Chopra concluded by wishing Shreyas Iyer a swift recovery and encouraged him to play substantial innings in the Ranji Trophy, stating that the doors for a return to the Test side would always be open, given his century on debut.
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