Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has expressed disappointment over Shreyas Iyer being left out of India’s Test squad for the England tour. Ganguly, once a major supporter of Ajit Agarkar both during his time as India captain and while leading Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, did not hesitate to criticize the Agarkar-led selection committee.
Ganguly had valued Agarkar so highly that even during the 2008 IPL, he didn’t consider KKR at full strength without him, despite Agarkar having retired from international cricket a year earlier. In 2025, although their personal rapport seems unaffected, Ganguly didn’t hold back his views on the selection decision. He emphasized Iyer’s recent performances in all formats, arguing that his consistent form and ability to handle pressure made him worthy of a spot on the Test team.
Shreyas Iyer’s Recent Form and Achievements
Shreyas Iyer was dropped from the Test squad mainly due to past difficulties with short-pitched bowling. However, he has made an impressive comeback. He was among India’s top scorers in both the 2023 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy, proving his value in the limited-overs formats. In domestic cricket too, Iyer had a strong season for Mumbai across all formats.
He led the Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL title in 2024 and then guided the Punjab Kings to their first final in 11 years in 2025. In the latest IPL season, he amassed 604 runs in 17 games with a remarkable strike rate of 175 — the highest among the top 10 Orange Cap contenders. Despite all this, the selection committee, reportedly, did not give much thought to Iyer’s inclusion, believing he still had improvements to make in red-ball cricket.
Ganguly’s Take on India’s Chances in England
Sourav Ganguly firmly believes Iyer’s current form should have earned him a place in the Test team. “He has been playing at his best in the last one year, and should have been in this team. Last one year has been fantastic for him. He isn’t the player who got left out. He is now scoring under pressure, taking responsibility, playing the short ball well. Although Test cricket’s different, I would have had him in this series to see what he can do,” Ganguly told.
Ganguly, who closely observed Iyer’s game while serving as Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals, currently sees him leading the Mumbai Falcons in the 2025 Mumbai League final. With Kohli and Rohit unavailable, the responsibility in the middle-order now falls on Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant.
New faces like Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair could also be tested. Speaking about India’s chances in England, Ganguly said, “Yes, sure. We just need two things, batting well and [Jasprit] Bumrah remaining fit. We won in Australia, in Melbourne (2020-21), with a young batting line-up, having no [Virat] Kohli, no Rohit Sharma. So, I do not see why we cannot win.”
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