Former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly was not in favour of excluding Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming Test series against England. Shreyas has been enjoying a brilliant run of form in the past year and he emerged as the top-scorer for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. In the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Shreyas was suggested as a top contender for the middle-order but he did not find a spot in the final squad. Ganguly believes that Shreyas should have been picked based on his current form and he is not “the player who got left out”.
“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 told RevSportz.
Meanwhile, teenage fast bowler Eddie Jack has been “invited to practise” with England’s senior team ahead of the first Test against India after producing impressive efforts for the Lions against India A in the two four-day games, according to a report.
India begin their new World Test Championship cycle taking on England in a five-match series beginning with the first match at Headingley from June 20.
The 19-year-old Hampshire seamer caught the selectors’ attention by dismissing India batter KL Rahul, who had scored a century in the first innings, during their drawn second unofficial Test in Northampton.
Standing at 6-foot-4, Jack has “impressed” England Lion’s coaching group, including Andrew Flintoff, Mark Wood and Graeme Swann, The Times, London, reported.
Jack, who is yet to make his County Championship debut for Hampshire, has played two first-class matches — both against India A — and represented England U-19s earlier this year in South Africa.
He also took five wickets last month in a warm-up game against Zimbabwe, while playing for a combined counties XI.
In Northampton, Jack regularly beat the bat of India Test stars, including Nitish Reddy and Dhruv Jurel.
He eventually dismissed Jurel, who was the player of the match in the Ranchi Test against England in 2022, and returned with figures of 2/71 in the second innings.
(With PTI inputs)
