Shreyas Iyer And? Reputed Players Who Were Dropped From India Squad For ENG Tour

Debashis Sarangi

Shreyas Iyer missed out on selection [Source: @bollycasttt/X]Shreyas Iyer missed out on selection [Source: @bollycasttt/X]

This afternoon, the BCCI selection committee announced India's 18-member squad for the upcoming Test series against England. Besides naming Shubman Gill as the new Test skipper, India recalled Karun Nair, Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur, while several renowned faces had to face the axe. 

As India have finalised their squad, here are some reputed players who were dropped for the tour. 

1. Shreyas Iyer

  • Veteran Mumbai and India batter Shreyas Iyer was ignored for the Test series against England. Given that Iyer was impressive in the domestics as well as international cricket, his absence raised a million eyebrows. 
  • In seven innings, Shreyas Iyer struck 480 runs at a superb average of 68.57 in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. He followed it up with a sublime Champions Trophy campaign, emerging as India's game-changer in the 50-over format. 
  • His IPL 2025 outings were even more spectacular, as he led Punjab Kings to the playoffs for the first time in eleven years. However, as it seems, the BCCI decided to exclude him from the squad based on his past returns as a Test player. 
  • Iyer had a brief lean patch in Tests last year, managing only 187 runs at a horrible average of 17 in his previous 12 innings. As it seems, this is why the selectors have ignored him, bringing the in-form Karun Nair back into the setup. 

2. Sarfaraz Khan

  • Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan stormed into the Indian Test setup following his blitz in the domestic circuit. The middle-order batter was sublime in the England home series, amassing 200 runs at an average of 50 and a blistering strike rate of 79.37. 
  • However, he blew hot and cold in the New Zealand Tests, which India lost by an embarrassing margin of three-nil. Although he struck a blazing ton in the first Test, he followed it up with a string of low scores (11, 9, 0, 1), eventually losing his place in the Test side. 
  • So, given that he flopped against the BlackCaps, the selectors decided against picking Sarfaraz for the England tour, which could've been a daunting test for the youngster. 

3. Mohammed Shami

  • One of India's deadly fast bowlers, Mohammed Shami, failed to find a place in the Test squad for the England tour. Shami, who has bagged 229 wickets in 64 matches, was one of the frontrunners to lead India's pace attack with Jasprit Bumrah. 
  • However, he hasn't been the same bowler since recovering from an ankle injury, which he developed during the 2023 World Cup. He recently underwent several MRI scans that revealed fresh injury concerns for the seamer, leading to his axing from the Test side.