Shreyas Iyer & Sai Sudharsan(Source: X)
Former Indian cricketer, Mohammad Kaif, conveyed his dissatisfaction with the Indian selectors’ call of opting for Sai Sudharsan over Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming five-match Test series of England. The 18-member squad for the red-ball tour was announced on Saturday, May 24.
Kaif was critical of the fact that Sudharsan was being picked on the basis of current IPL form for a format which was completely contrasting the white-ball one. He remarked on the lack of acknowledgement for Iyer’s consistent performances for the nation in the recent past.
“Sai Sudharsan is a brilliant player, no doubt. But he was picked in the Test squad after a good IPL season (679 runs and counting, as of May 29). Iyer, meanwhile, has been doing well for so long. He scored some 550 (530 runs in 11 innings) runs in the 2023 ODI World Cup and in the Champions Trophy (243 runs in five innings) as well. He is still doing a terrific job with the bat for Punjab Kings (514 runs and counting, as of May 28). He is captaining too. So, on one hand, you are considering white-ball criteria for one player and not for the other,” shared Kaif in a video on his YouTube channel.
Iyer last represented India in Test cricket last year when England had made their way to India. He was dropped after two Tests and has failed to be in contention ever since. From that point, Iyer has done well for Mumbai as far as the domestic circuit is concerned. He registered 480 runs in seven innings in the 2024-25 edition of the Ranji Trophy.
In relation to India’s squad, other than Sudharsan, players like Karun Nair and Abhimanyu Easwaran found a spot but Iyer’s name was nowhere to be found. He is currently leading Punjab Kings in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. Iyer has been instrumental with both bat and his decisions while leading the side into the playoffs.
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