"His number will not come now" - Aakash Chopra on whether Shreyas Iyer should have been considered for ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that Shreyas Iyer was rightly not considered for selection for the ongoing Test series against England. He pointed out that the middle-order batter is unlikely to get a place in India's Test squad immediately.

Shreyas is not part of India's 18-member squad for the five-match Test series against England. Although the visitors lost the first game in Leeds by five wickets, they performed decently with the bat, posting 471 and 364 in the first and second innings, respectively.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener replied in the negative when asked whether Shreyas should have been considered for selection for the Test series against England.

"No, Sir. There is no issue in batting in any case, and his number will not come now. I mean it won't come immediately. The number can come any time, but it wasn't supposed to come now because the others haven't gotten an opportunity," he said (3:05).

Chopra noted that Shreyas couldn't have gotten an opportunity, highlighting that Karun Nair has just returned to the squad, Sarfaraz Khan hasn't been picked, and Dhruv Jurel didn't get to play the first Test.

"If you think about it, Karun Nair has played just now. You are unable to give Sarfaraz Khan an opportunity. Dhruv Jurel is sitting outside. So when the players who are already there aren't getting full opportunities, how will Shreyas' number come? So there was no chance of Shreyas Iyer's number coming now," he observed.

Karun Nair was dismissed for a duck in India's first innings of the Leeds Test. He managed only 20 runs in the second innings, but will likely be persisted with for the second Test starting in Birmingham on July 2.

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"His time will come" - Aakash Chopra on Shreyas Iyer's Test future

Shreyas Iyer's last Test was against England in February 2024. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra acknowledged that Shreyas Iyer has performed impressively in domestic cricket and IPL 2025, but reckoned that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper will have to bide his time for now.

"Yes, I know, since he had a very good first-class season, had a good IPL, made the team win, and all of that, it's beautiful, white-ball cricket, but Test cricket, especially away from home, his time will come, but I think it won't come now. He will have to wait a little more," he said.

Shreyas Iyer has aggregated 811 runs at an average of 36.86 in 14 Tests. He has an impressive first-class record, having amassed 6,363 runs at an average of 48.57 in 81 games.

Edited by Kartik Iyer