Kaif criticised Sai Sudharsan for being selected based on his current IPL form in a format that was quite different from the white-ball one. He said that Iyer’s steady performances for the country in the recent past have not received enough recognition.
For the forthcoming five-match Test series against England, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif expressed his displeasure with the Indian selectors’ decision to choose Sai Sudharsan over Shreyas Iyer. On Saturday, May 24, the 18-person team for the red-ball tour was revealed.
“There is no denying that Sai Sudharsan is an exceptional player.
However, following a strong IPL season (679 runs and counting as of May 29), he was selected for the Test team. Iyer, on the other hand, has long been doing well. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, he amassed about 550 runs (530 runs in 11 innings), and he also made 243 runs in five innings in the Champions Trophy. He continues to be a fantastic batsman for the Punjab Kings, scoring 514 runs as of May 28. He is also the captain. In a video posted on his YouTube account, Kaif stated, “On the one hand, you are thinking about white-ball criteria for one player and not for the other.”
When England travelled to India last year, Iyer played his final Test match for India. After two Test matches, he was dropped, and he hasn’t been competitive since. Since then, Iyer has performed admirably for Mumbai on the home circuit. During the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy, he scored 480 runs in seven innings.
Aside from Sai Sudharsan, players like Karun Nair and Abhimanyu Easwaran found a place in the Indian squad, although Iyer’s name was missing. In the current Indian Premier League season, he is currently in charge of Punjab Kings. As he has guided the team into the playoffs, Iyer has been crucial with his bat and his choices.
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