Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh and Ruturaj Gaikwad have built strong red-ball cases through domestic cricket, yet all three remain outside India's Test plans for now.
India's Test squad for the New Zealand 2026 tour was announced without three players who have been prominent in white-ball cricket. All three are part of the ODI setup for the same tour, yet their red-ball credentials are worth a closer look.
The 2025-2027 World Test Championship cycle gives India's selectors room to plan ahead. Domestic performances in the Ranji Trophy and first-class cricket have kept these names in wider discussions around Test selection.
Here are 3 ODI players who deserve chance in India's Test side:
3. Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer has accumulated 6,408 first-class runs across 83 matches at an average of 47.82, with 15 hundreds and 33 fifties to his name. That record places him among the more experienced middle-order options available outside the current Test setup. In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, Iyer averaged just under 69 across five matches and struck at nearly 90, with Mumbai going on to win the title that season. His 233 against Odisha during that campaign was the standout knock, underlining his ability to build long innings in red-ball conditions. Iyer has played 14 Tests, scoring 811 runs with one century and five fifties.
He last appeared in a Test on February 2, 2024 against England. His ability to handle spin and bat at No. 4 or No. 5 makes him a relevant name for Asian conditions in particular. On his Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur on November 25, 2021, he scored a century and a fifty in the same match.