The selection of India's Test squad for the upcoming tour of England has sparked considerable debate, particularly surrounding the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from Tests, many expected Iyer and Khan to fill the vacant spots. However, the selectors opted for a different direction, recalling Karun Nair after an eight-year absence and handing a maiden call-up to Sai Sudharsan.
Former Indian pacer Atul Wassan believes that the team management felt that Sarfaraz and Shreyas would not succeed in English conditions. Wassan suggested that the omissions were driven more by perception than performance. He highlighted that Sarfaraz had scored three fifties and a hundred but didn't get a single chance in Australia, indicating a pre-existing perception about his inability to perform. Similarly, some believe that Shreyas Iyer hasn't performed well in red-ball cricket.
Shreyas Iyer had a strong Ranji Trophy season, scoring 480 runs in five matches at an average of 68.57. He last played a Test match during the series against England but was later omitted from the BCCI's central contracts list. Shreyas struggled against short-pitched balls in the one-off Test match against England in 2022. Sarfaraz Khan, despite being part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, was also left out of the Test squad. Sarfaraz has only featured in six Tests since his debut last year and is yet to play a Test match for India overseas.
Karun Nair's recall has been a major talking point. Nair scored 863 runs in the Ranji Trophy and added another 779 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In just 16 matches, Nair amassed 863 runs with 4 brilliant centuries to his name. His strong domestic performance led to his comeback to the Indian setup after a long hiatus.
The decision to overlook Iyer and Khan has drawn mixed reactions. Some experts believe that neither player has the technique to handle the seam and swing in English conditions. It remains to be seen whether Sudharsan and Nair will succeed, but some believe that Sarfaraz and Iyer wouldn't have. Sarfaraz is part of the India A squad for the series against England Lions, giving him an opportunity to prove his detractors wrong.
