Sourav Ganguly Advocates for Shreyas Iyer's Inclusion in England Tour

Ganguly's Perspective on Iyer's Exclusion

Sourav Ganguly, the former captain of India, expressed his disapproval regarding Shreyas Iyer's omission from the squad for the upcoming tour of England. Given Iyer's impressive performance since the 2023 World Cup, Ganguly believes it is questionable to exclude a player of his caliber. While acknowledging the distinct nature of Test cricket, he suggested that Iyer should have been given a chance to prove himself in this format. In a conversation with RevSports, Ganguly remarked,

Ganguly's Support for Iyer

"He has been playing at his best in the last one year, and should have been in this team. Last one year has been fantastic for him. He isn’t the player who got left out. He is now scoring under pressure, taking responsibility, playing the short ball well. Although Test cricket’s different, I would have had him in this series to see what he can do."

Iyer's Journey in IPL and Beyond

Ganguly's familiarity with Iyer stems from their time together at Delhi Capitals, where Ganguly served as the Director of Cricket. Iyer began his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils in 2015, earning the Emerging Player Award. He took over as captain in 2017 after Gautam Gambhir stepped down, leading the team to its first final in 2020. Unfortunately, Iyer faced a setback with a shoulder dislocation during a match against England, which limited his captaincy opportunities. He later joined KKR, securing the trophy in 2024, and despite a strong performance with 604 runs, he finished as the runner-up with Punjab Kings in 2025.

Iyer's Recent Achievements

Beyond the IPL, 2025 has been a remarkable year for Iyer. He dominated domestic tournaments and was the second-highest scorer in the home ODI series against England. Additionally, he concluded the 2025 Champions Trophy as the second-highest run-scorer, amassing 243 runs, just behind New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra.

Ganguly's Confidence in Young Indian Team

Reflecting on India's commendable performance during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Ganguly emphasized that having a young team should not be a cause for concern. He recalled that during that series, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were absent from the Melbourne Test. Ganguly stated,

"Yes, sure. We just need two things, batting well and [Jasprit] Bumrah remaining fit. We won in Australia, in Melbourne (2020-21), with a young batting line-up, having no [Virat] Kohli, no Rohit Sharma. So, I do not see why we cannot win."

India's first Test in the series is scheduled to take place at Headingley, Leeds, on June 20.