Mr. Shreyas Iyer, often hailed as the "Sarpanch Sahab" of Indian cricket, has been a pillar of consistency in the middle order for a long time. He was the top run-scorer for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy, amassing 243 runs, and scored 530 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, ranking just behind Rohit Sharma (597 runs) and Virat Kohli (765 runs). As a captain, he led Kolkata Knight Riders to victory in the IPL 2024, while also guiding Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings to the IPL finals in 2020 and 2025, respectively. In domestic cricket, he captained Mumbai to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2024 and took them to the finals in the 2024–25 season. Looking at his cricket highlights, Shreyas Iyer has been a key driving force behind the success of both the Indian ODI team and his IPL franchises, playing a crucial role in taking them to the top. He successfully cemented the much-debated No. 4 spot in India's ODI lineup—a position the team had struggled to fill consistently since the days of Yuvraj Singh.
However, whenever discussions arose about his inclusion in the T20I and Test squads, his name was often left out of the final selections. He last appeared in a Test match against England in 2024 and played his most recent T20I against Australia in December 2023. In the meantime, Shreyas Iyer has been consistently battling back issues. In 2023, when the problem flared up, he withdrew from the IPL and traveled to the UK for surgery. After a lengthy recovery, he made a strong comeback in the Asia Cup 2023 and resumed his impressive run in ODIs.
However, his ongoing back concerns once led him to opt out of domestic cricket, which ultimately cost him his central contract for a significant part of 2024. Now, Iyer has once again cited back problems and requested a six-month break from red-ball cricket — a request the BCCI has accepted. After this, BCCI shuffles him to Rajat Patidar. Patidar, who was initially appointed as captain for the India 'A' assignment, has now been reassigned to lead the Rest of India squad in the Irani Cup against Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha, starting on October 1. As a result of this leadership change, Tilak Varma — who was earlier slated to captain the second and third matches of the series — will now take on the role of vice-captain under Shreyas Iyer.
At present, Shreyas Iyer is not even in contention for a spot in the T20I or Test squads. However, he remains an active part of the ODI setup and, as per multiple reports, is among the frontrunners to become India’s next ODI captain. With his recent appointment as India A captain, it now appears almost certain that Iyer will be included in the ODI squad for the upcoming India tour of Australia. Still, his future in T20Is and Tests remains uncertain. While a return to the T20I side seems possible, a comeback in the Test format looks significantly more difficult.
Sign in to leave a comment.