Gautam Gambhir on Shreyas Iyer missing England Tests: ‘Selections depend on form—anyone performing well can be picked’

With 604 runs from 17 innings at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07, Shreyas Iyer had his finest Indian Premier League (IPL) batting season to date. He was the first captain in IPL history to guide three separate teams to the championship game. For the first time in eleven years, Punjab Kings made it to the final of the IPL 2025 because to the brilliant leadership of the Mumbai batter.

Shreyas Iyer lost out on a position in India’s 18-man squad for the forthcoming five-match Test tour of England, which begins on June 20, according to many fans and pundits.

Others questioned if Shreyas Iyer would never be able to play in India’s red-ball setup.

Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, stated that any player who is performing well and has the capacity to contribute is eligible for a spot in the squad. The former cricket player for India, however, stated that a squad may only have 18 players and that it is impossible to select every player who is performing well.

You can call anyone. If someone is in good shape, they can be called. The chairman of the selection committee has already responded to the topic of why Shreyas Iyer was not chosen, as we were only able to select 18. At India’s pre-departure press conference held in Mumbai on Thursday, June 5, Gambhir stated, “For me, it’s always about being open to people who are in good form, who can come in and deliver.”

When asked about Shreyas’ position in the squad last week, Gambhir responded that he is not the selector. The latter, meanwhile, finished second overall and with the most runs in India’s successful Champions Trophy campaign earlier this year. In five innings, he amassed 243 runs at an average of 48.60.

at February 2022, Shreyas Iyer played his final Test match at Visakhapatnam against England. In 14 Test matches, the right-handed hitter has amassed 811 runs at an average of 36.86, including five fifties and a century.