Shreyas Iyer Out Of Champions Trophy XI? India Has 3 Reasons To Drop Star Batter

Iyer might not find a place in India's Champions Trophy XI [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X]

After India's disastrous loss in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the focus has been shifted to the ICC Champions Trophy, which will be conducted in a hybrid mode next month. Regarding team India, the BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, will soon finalise the Men in Blue's provisional squad for the marquee event. 

While the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya will form India's core team, the Men in Blue face serious conundrum regarding their number four, with Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant fighting for a single spot. Talking about Iyer, the gritty Mumbai batter has performed superbly at that particular position, complementing India's number three Virat Kohli. However, there could be some reasons why India might exclude him from their first-choice playing XI, as mentioned below. 

Has Shreyas Iyer Fallen Back In Pecking Order?

• Despite performing admirably in the 2023 ODI World Cup at home, Shreyas Iyer was removed from the BCCI central contract list following his non-participation in India's domestic competitions. 
• While he has been completely sidelined from Tests, his exclusion from the contracts took a toll on his ODI performance. Hailed for his spin-hitting prowess, Iyer failed miserably on Sri Lanka's spin-friendly pitches, managing only 38 runs at a horrible average of 12.67. 
• The Sri Lanka ODIs were the last time when Iyer played an international game for India. Although he has splendid numbers as India's number four batter, the team management's actions suggest that he has fallen back in the pecking order and it won't be surprising if he is not considered in the first-choice playing XI. 

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Rishabh Pant Ensures More Dynamism And Balance In India's ODI XI

• India's swashbuckling batter Rishabh Pant missed the 2023 World Cup due to multiple injuries, courtesy of a dreadful car accident in 2022. However, the keeper-batter has recovered from it and is in contention for a spot in India's Champions Trophy playing XI. 
• Given that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya are set to form India's batting core, Pant can bring flexibility as a left-handed batter in the lineup. If Iyer is preferred over Pant, India will have all right-handed batters in their top six, making things smoother for the slow left-arm orthodox and right-arm leg spin bowlers. 
• Statistically, Pant strikes at a blistering rate of 125.9 against these two spin types. So, if he bats at number four, it will allow Virat Kohli and KL Rahul to play their natural game without hampering India's scoring rate in the middle overs. 

Gautam Gambhir's Tendency To Back Multidimensional Players

• Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul will likely play as India's specialist batters in the Champions Trophy 2025. With Hardik Pandya and one between Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja playing as the all-rounders, India might consider making room for another multi-dimensional player, especially if Jasprit Bumrah misses out due to a potential back injury. 
• If Bumrah gets sidelined, India might adopt the safe route and go with a deep batting lineup, including several bowling options. In such a scenario, the likes of Nitish Reddy and Riyan Parag, who can chip in with a few overs apart from adding firepower to the lower middle order, could be preferred over a pure batting option like Iyer. 
• In fact, India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has been vocal about picking multi-dimensional players, and it won't be surprising if he favours such cricketers over Iyer for the marquee event. 

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