'Who Will He Replace?': BCCI Official Says 'No Room' For Shreyas Iyer In Test Side

A BCCI official has declared that middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer is no way in their scheme of things as far as the Test team goes. The official expressed concerns about his form, claiming that the right-hander squandered a golden chance to make big runs in the Duleep Trophy.

The Mumbai-born batter, who captained India D in the Duleep Trophy, only managed scores of 9, 54, 0, and 41. As a result, the selectors didn't consider him in the squad for the first Test against Bangladesh and is unlikely to play any red-ball game throughout the season.

A BCCI official stated that even if Shreyas comes into the reckoning, there is no one left to swap. He said, as quoted by The Hindustan Times:

"At the moment, there’s no room for Shreyas to be in the Test team. Who will he replace? Besides, his shot selection has been a concern in Duleep, especially yesterday (Sunday). He was well set and then suddenly played such a shot (off left-arm spinner Shams Mulani). When you are set and then batting on a flat deck, you need to make the best use of that opportunity."

"Most likely he won’t go to Australia" - BCCI official

The BCCI official further commented that Shreyas Iyer's short-ball struggles are also well-documented, making him difficult to go to Australia for the five-Test series.

"Shreyas could be there (in the Mumbai squad) for the Irani Cup (beginning on October 1 in Lucknow). Even if he’s picked for the Bangladesh T20Is (from October 6), he still might play Irani and then be available from the second T20I onwards. Also, with still one round left in Duleep, you never know he might score a hundred. He needs to regain form. Most likely he won’t go to Australia for his problems against the short ball, but one can’t just ignore his runs at home."

The 29-year-old made his Test debut in 2021 against New Zealand and last played one earlier this year.