Sourav Ganguly former cricket player, expressed his disappointment at Shreyas Iyer’s absence from the Indian Test team for the England tour. The former captain also mentioned that Iyer has worked on his short-ball weakness and praised him for scoring runs under pressure.
Sourav Ganguly praises Iyer’s performance
Gangauly questioned Iyer’s absence from the team, mentioning his terrific performance over the past year. Iyer helped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to win IPL 2024 and also further led Punjab Kings to the final in the IPL 2025 season.
“He has been playing at his best in the last year, and should have been in this team. Last one year has been fantastic for him. He is the player who got left out. He is now scoring under pressure, taking responsibility, playing the short ball well. Although Test cricket’s different, I would have had him in this series to see what he can do,” Ganguly told RevSportz.
Shreyas Iyer, whose last Test appearance was in 2024 before his exclusion midway through the series against England, has showcased formidable form in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Playing for Mumbai, he accumulated 480 runs from seven innings at an average of 68.57, registering two centuries.
Concurrently, Sourav Ganguly has expressed his conviction in India’s ability to perform strongly and secure a series victory in England. He underscored the pivotal roles of the team’s batting prowess and the sustained fitness of Jasprit Bumrah. Ganguly referenced India’s successful 2020-21 tour of Australia, where the team prevailed with a relatively inexperienced batting lineup and without key players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, positing that similar success is attainable.
The forthcoming five-match Test series against England is scheduled to commence on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. This series marks the inaugural assignment for the newly appointed captain, Shubman Gill, and vice-captain, Rishabh Pant. India, seeking their first series win in England since 2007, will contend with Ben Stokes’ team, which has recently ascended to the second position in the ICC Test rankings