Shreyas Iyer and Mohammad Shami were two big names missing when the BCCI announced the 16-member Indian team squad for the first of the two Tests against Bangladesh on September 8, 2024. The Test will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from September 19 onwards.
This will be followed by the second and final Test, to be played at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur from September 27 onwards. The Tests will be followed by three T20Is on October 6, 9, and 12 in Gwalior, Delhi, and Hyderabad respectively.
Usual suspects were chosen in the 16-member squad with Rohit Sharma named captain. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Sarfaraz Khan retain their positions in the batting order from the England tests. KL Rahul has been included to strengthen the middle order.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has picked two wicketkeepers, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel, who kept his place thanks to impressive performances in the England series. This will be Rishabh Pant’s return to Test cricket after more than 20 months out of the format.
The selectors have chosen four spinners: R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav. Four seamers have also been selected, with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj heading the attack. Akash Deep retained his spot in English Tests, while Yash Dayal received his first Test call-up.
Shreyas Iyer snubbed due to rise of Sarfaraz Khan; Mohammad Shami to return to action with Ranji Trophy
While the squad is extremely strong keeping in mind that Bangladesh is coming off white-washing Pakistan in a two-Test series; Shreyas Iyer and Mohammad Shami’s exclusions were eye-openers.
As per the Times of India report, Iyer’s absence surprises some, given his recent ODI form and a good half-century in the Duleep Trophy. However, his red-ball cricket performances have been spotty.
Earlier this year, Iyer was sidelined due to an injury sustained during the Test series against England. Furthermore, his withdrawal from the BCCI’s central contracts, following his absence from Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, harmed his selection chances.
His recent performances in lengthier formats, including the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament and the opening innings of the Duleep Trophy, have been less than impressive.
The rivalry for middle-order positions in the Indian Test team has also heated up, with Sarfaraz Khan’s ascent and KL Rahul’s steady performances pushing Iyer down the order.
Mohammad Shami, the Bengal bowler, is still working on his recovery and was not included in the Test team. Instead, Shami is set to play for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, which begins on October 11, before making himself available for national selection.
Shami is expected to also miss the first Test of the three-match series against New Zealand in October.
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