In a significant reshuffle of India’s Check setup, the BCCI on Saturday named Shubman Gill as the brand new Check captain and Rishabh Pant as his deputy for the upcoming dwelling sequence in opposition to England. The squad announcement noticed a mixture of surprises and comebacks, with Karun Nair returning to the red-ball fold after greater than eight years. Nevertheless, one obvious omission caught the eye of followers and specialists alike — Shreyas Iyer, who has been constantly performing throughout codecs, was overlooked of the Check squad.
Virender Sehwag questions Shreyas Iyer’s absence from Indian Check squad
Amongst these puzzled by this choice was former India opener Virender Sehwag, who brazenly expressed his dissatisfaction following Delhi Capitals’ win over Punjab Kings in IPL 2025. Sehwag questioned the logic behind sidelining Iyer and urged selectors to re-evaluate their decisions.
Notably, Iyer has not featured in India’s red-ball setup since being dropped through the England sequence final yr. Since then, he has rebuilt his fame within the home circuit, taking part in an important function in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy triumph within the 2023-24 season and sustaining strong type in ODIs. Sehwag highlighted Iyer’s type and management qualities, emphasizing that the batter deserves a good run within the Check format.
“He doesn’t get a lot credit score for his captaincy. Manoj (Tiwary) mentioned that Rishabh Pant didn’t get captaincy as a result of his IPL season hasn’t been nice. However Iyer has had a fantastic season, he’s additionally the captain. Why can’t he play in Check cricket? He can undoubtedly play all three codecs,” mentioned Sehwag on Cricbuzz.
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Sehwag explains how Iyer’s presence may gain advantage Indian group
Sehwag advised that India’s red-ball group may gain advantage from a extra dynamic strategy in batting, particularly with stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stepping away from the format. In keeping with Sehwag, Iyer’s fearless batting may inject new vitality into the lineup and drive opposition groups on the backfoot.
“Whenever you’re in good type, it’s good to take him to the tour as a result of there are greater probabilities of him performing. I’d need to see him in Check group. If he retains the identical strategy in Check cricket, it advantages the group. You probably have 2-3 gamers like that, it units concern within the opposition. England performs at 6-7 runs/over. If Indian group even manages to play at 4-5 runs/over, they’ll put them underneath strain,” added Sehwag.
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