Shreyas Iyer's snub from the India squad for the five-match Test series against England left many baffled. Following the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two slots were up for grabs in the Indian squad, and the BCCI opted for Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair. Sudharsan was rewarded for his stellar run in IPL, while Nair did well in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. Shreyas Iyer was also great form, scoring over 500 runs in IPL 2025, but he failed to make a cut.

While Iyer's snub remains a mystery for many, the lack of clarity over the reason of his omission has raised questions. When India coach Gautam Gambhir was asked about Shreyas Iyer's snub from the Test squad, he gave a blunt reply and said, "Main selector nahi hoon," translating to 'I am not the selector'. Gambhir's reply didn't sit well with former cricketer Atul Wassan, who took a hilarious dig at the India coach and said, 'Gambhir doesn't select players; he only rejects'.

Atul Wassan said that the Indian selection process involves the coach and his inputs are taken before finalising the squad. During the 12th episode of Bails and Banter on the OTTplay app, Atul said, "The coach has a role in team selection, and selectors also listen to them before naming the squad."

Atul, however, defended Gambhir and said that the coach has the right to pick the players of his choice. "If he (Gautam Gambhir) has been given this position, then I think he deserves to go with his feeling, whether it's right or wrong."

Why Was Shreyas Iyer Not Selected?

While the reason for Iyer's snub was not revealed by the BCCI, it is speculated that his previous issues against the short ball and moving deliveries might have prompted the selectors to look for more technically sound batters for English conditions.

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