'Shreyas Iyer doesn't have technique. He's vulnerable': Agarkar deemed right in not selecting batter for England tour

Hindustan Times

6 days ago

Shreyas Iyer might be setting the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 stage on fire with his captaincy for Punjab Kings, but the batter would indeed be disappointed on not getting picked in the Test squad for the upcoming five-match series against England. With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retiring from the longest format, it was the best chance for Shreyas to make a comeback in the Test squad. However, the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar, snubbed Shreyas as the likes of Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair earned call-ups.
Former England spinner Monty Panesar backed Agarkar in not selecting Shreyas, saying the batter doesn't have a proper technique to counter the swinging conditions in the UK. He stated that had Shreyas featured in the squad, he would have been found out because he plays with "quick hands."
Shreyas' stocks, in the Test scheme of things, have witnessed a drastic fall ever since he was left out of the central contracts list last year. He might have returned to the list on the back of strong performances in the Champions Trophy 2025, but he perhaps needs to wait a little longer to earn his place back in the Test team.
'Well, I believe they haven't missed a trick. I think that he is a very good player, but with the seaming and swinging conditions, I believe he is vulnerable; I don't think he has the technique for that,' Panesar told InsideSport.
'And I think that's one of the reasons why they felt that, technically, he would be found out. His numbers are up there, but what conditions? Flat, spinning conditions,' he added.
While speaking about Shreyas Iyer's exclusion, Panesar said that the right-hander is perhaps more suited for bouncier tracks, but currently, he doesn't have the adequate technique to succeed in conditions where the ball swings around.
"I think he is a superstar, but when it comes to seaming, swinging conditions, I don't think he has the technique. He doesn't have soft hands and doesn't play the ball late. He has quick hands, his feet don't move much," said Panesar.
"Brilliant hand-eye coordination. That sort of technique is suited for faster and bouncier pitches. I think in swinging conditions, you are going to be found out," he added.
Shreyas Iyer has played 14 Tests, scoring 811 runs at an average of 36.86. He played his last Test last year in February against England. He has been out of the team since then.
After this ouster, the right-handed batter was asked to play domestic cricket. However, Shreyas failed to turn up for Mumbai, which led to his removal from the central contracts list.
The batter then performed exceedingly well in white-ball formats for India, leading to his comeback in the list.