Shreyas Iyer’s Test comeback blocked: India told to give No.3 spot to 103-match veteran for West Indies series
Published - 12 Aug 2025, 05:37 PM | Updated - 12 Aug 2025, 05:40 PM
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Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly recently shared his thoughts on India’s performance in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 after their hard-fought 2-2 draw in England. The recently concluded five-match Test series was a big moment for Shubman Gill.
He was leading the young Indian cricket team after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin retired. While most of the batting lineup seems strong and settled, the Indian team is still struggling to find a reliable player for the crucial No. 3 spot.
Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan set to be dropped?
During the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan were given chances, but both failed to impress the think tank in England. As India is set to face the West Indies in a two-match Test series in October, there have been talks about recalling Shreyas Iyer at No. 3.
However, the former BCCI president Ganguly is against the idea of recalling Iyer to the Test line-up, as he feels there is another player who deserves to get his chance, as he has been waiting for a long time now. Ganguly urged the team to give a chance to Abhimanyu Easwaran in the West Indies series.
Sourav Ganguly backs Abhimanyu Easwaran for India’s No. 3 spot after England tour
Despite being called up for the tour of tours against Bangladesh, Australia, and England since 2022, Easwaran hasn’t yet made his Test debut. The former Indian captain suggested that Easwaran could be the answer for the No. 3 slot since it was the only weak spot in India’s batting on the England tour.
Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying by Times Now: “He has age on his side. I still believe he will get his chance. I feel batters like Yashasvi (Jaiswal), KL Rahul, (Shubman) Gill, (Rishabh) Pant, and (Ravindra) Jadeja have all got runs. It’s only the No. 3 slot that looked a bit fragile. Maybe Easwaran will be tried out there.”
Recently, Abhimanyu Easwaran’s father revealed that Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has assured Easwaran that he will get a fair chance to prove himself when he gets his opportunity.
Read Also: Rajasthan Royals break silence on Sanju Samson's exit ahead of IPL 2026
Abhimanyu Easwaran’s numbers
The Bengal batter has a strong record in domestic cricket, having played 103 first-class matches and scored 7,841 runs at an average close to 49.
He has also been a regular captain for the India ‘A’ team. In a recent game, he scored 11 and 80 runs while batting at No. 3 in the second unofficial Test against the England Lions. The 29-year-old batter has scored 31 fifties and 27 centuries in his career.
For India A, Easwaran has made seven half-centuries and six centuries in red-ball cricket. He has a total of 1,865 runs for India A at an average of nearly 40 to his name. Despite his consistent performances, the Bengal star is yet to make his debut for the Indian cricket team. Now, Easwaran is gearing up to lead the East Zone team in the upcoming 2025 Duleep Trophy.
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