Shreyas Iyer opts out of red-ball cricket, informs selectors | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: Two days after making himself unavailable for the ongoing India A match against Australia A in Lucknow, it has Shreyas Iyer has conveyed to the national selectors and the Indian cricket board (BCCI) that he wants to opt out of red-ball cricket. TOI has learnt that Iyer, who is about to turn 31 in two months, got in touch with chief selector Ajit Agarkar and informed him about his decision. “Iyer spoke to Agarkar and conveyed that it’s getting tougher for him to endure the rigours of first-class cricket. He is experiencing some discomfort in his back. That’s why he has pulled out of the India A match,” a BCCI source told TOI on Tuesday. The selectors are due to meet in a day or two to pick the Test team for the two-match West Indies series at home beginning in Ahmedabad on Oct 2. Iyer, who has been out of reckoning in Test cricket since Feb 2024, was appointed the captain of the India A team. Iyer struggled to get going in the Duleep Trophy match this month where he scored 25 and 12 before managing to score just eight runs for India A last week. He had a very strong domestic first-class season which prompted the selectors to give him the India A captaincy. It is understood that the selectors were deliberating if they wanted to bring Iyer back in Test cricket with the West Indies series. Iyer has cemented his place in ODI format. He enjoyed a terrific IPL season this year but couldn’t make India’s T20I team due to cut-throat competition. Iyer’s credentials took a beating when he struggled to perform against the fast and short balls away from home. The selectors ran out of patience with him when he failed in two Tests on good pitches against England at home in 2024. Iyer played 14 Tests with his only century coming on his debut in Kanpur against New Zealand in 2021. The selectors and the team management are trying to firm up the middle order in Test cricket with Karun Nair also walking on thin ice. With Rishabh Pant unavailable, it will be interesting to see if the selectors go back to Sarfaraz Khan.
