As the BCCI announced India’s 16-man squad for the first match of the two-Test series against Bangladesh scheduled to begin on September 19, Rishabh Pant made his long-awaited return to the Test squad after nearly 20 months. Virat Kohli also made his return after missing the five-match Test series against England earlier this year as he had to take time off for the birth of his second child.
Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami were not part of Team India’s Test squad for the first match against Bangladesh (File)
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Jasprit Bumrah also returned to the Indian team for the first time since the T20 World Cup and while there were no big surprises, there were definitely some notable omissions. Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami, who were absent recently, are yet to join the squad. Meanwhile, Shami has been injured since last year’s ODI World Cup and is on the road to recovery. Mr Ayer’s case is more complicated.
His exclusion from the Test squad may come as a surprise to some, given that Iyer returned to the Indian ODI squad with a powerful half-century knock against India D in the Duleep Trophy. Inconsistent form in cricket with the red ball and a turbulent 2024.
The 29-year-old batsman has steadily risen to prominence in Indian cricket in recent years but suffered a major setback with an injury in the Test series against England earlier this year. He was subsequently ruled out of the Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai and was released from his BCCI central contract.
Despite a commendable comeback that led Mumbai to the title and Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL glory, Iyer’s reputation in red-ball cricket has indeed taken a beating. His performances in the longer formats in the recent past have been disappointing and he failed to make much of an impression, especially in the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament.
