[WATCH] Gautam Gambhir tells a reporter, “I’m not the selector,” in response to a question from Shreyas Iyer.

When asked why Shreyas Iyer was left out of the Indian Test team for the forthcoming England tour, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir responded angrily. The former cricket player stated unequivocally that he had no influence over squad selections.

Gautam Gambhir was questioned about Iyer’s exclusion from the England Test series, which starts on June 20 and consists of five matches.

At the Goswami Ganesh Dutt Memorial Cricket Tournament, Gautam Gambhir declared, “Main selector nahin hoon” (I am not the selector).

Reporter:- “Why was Shreyas Iyer not selected for the England tour?”

Gautam Gambhir:- “I am not the selector”

For your information, Gambhir was the first coach in Indian cricket history who sat in the selection meeting,And now he is saying that I am not the selector pic.twitter.com/V74yfW7jGk

— A// (@AdityaGurjar76) May 28, 2025

Iyer has not played for India in the Test team since February 2024, despite being a consistent component of the ODI squad. He was probably excluded from the remaining games because of his performance in the first two Test matches against England. He then played six games in the Ranji Trophy, scoring 480 runs at an average of 68.57.

Notably, Iyer and Gambhir became friends during the 2024 Indian Premier League, with Iyer leading the team and Gambhir coaching the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). They worked well together, and KKR won their third IPL championship. Both, however, have moved on since Gambhir succeeded Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach after the 30-year-old was let go by the team.

Iyer has led the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to their first postseason spot since 2014 and is currently heading them in the IPL 2025. On May 29 in Mullanpur, PBKS will play Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1.

Regarding the Indian Test team, Shubman Gill has been named captain and is anticipated to bat at number four. Virat Kohli is also leaving the format, and Rohit Sharma is retiring from red-ball cricket. In addition, uncapped players Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Arshdeep Singh are included in the squad, and Shardul Thakur and Karun Nair return.