'Last one year...': Sourav Ganguly slams BCCI, Ajit Agarkar-led panel for dropping Shreyas Iyer from England Tests

Sourav Ganguly, who was once a staunch supporter of Ajit Agarkar during their shared experiences in the Indian team and with the Kolkata Knight Riders, has openly criticized the BCCI selection committee that Agarkar leads. The former captain of India raised concerns regarding the omission of Shreyas Iyer from the forthcoming Test series against England.

Iyer was instrumental in India’s middle-order during their last tour of England but was left out after facing difficulties with short-pitched deliveries. Despite these challenges, Iyer made a remarkable comeback. His performances in limited-overs cricket have been outstanding.

He ranked among India’s leading scorers in both the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Additionally, Iyer had a fruitful domestic season with Mumbai, showcasing his versatility across different formats.

In the IPL, Iyer’s contributions have been equally noteworthy. He steered the Kolkata Knight Riders to a championship victory in 2024 and subsequently led the Punjab Kings to their first final in over ten years. In IPL 2025, Iyer amassed 604 runs across 17 matches, with a striking rate of 175, placing him among the top 10 in the Orange Cap standings. Ganguly believes these achievements strongly advocate for Iyer’s selection in the Test squad.

Nevertheless, the selection committee seems to have overlooked Iyer without much consideration. Reports indicate that the selectors believe Iyer still needs to improve his red-ball cricket skills.

Ganguly expressed his dissatisfaction with this decision, highlighting Iyer’s consistent performance and his ability to handle pressure.

“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,” Ganguly said in an interview with RevSportz.

Ganguly’s relationship with Iyer goes back to his tenure as Director of Cricket at Delhi Capitals, where Iyer was a standout player. Presently, Iyer is leading the Mumbai Falcons in the Mumbai League 2025 and has already propelled the team to the finals.

With senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma unavailable, the burden in the middle-order now rests on the new captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Rishabh Pant.

There are also discussions about including Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair, unless India decides to opt for a pace-bowling all-rounder like Shardul Thakur or Nitish Kumar Reddy.

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