Shreyas Iyer's Test Cricket comeback initiated
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Indian middle-order stalwart Shreyas Iyer has expressed his desire to make a comeback in the longest format of the game; he sets forward an Indian Test team comeback with his reported availability for the forthcoming Duleep Trophy.
India is currently playing in England and is trailing in the series 1-2, and is hopeful for a draw in the series by winning the final ongoing Test.
Indian batters have put on a commendable show in England under skipper Shubman Gill's leadership.
However, they have also faced trouble with their middle-order batting options, as Karun Nair as well as Sai Sudharsan have not been up to the mark to be India's best possible no. 3.
Shreyas Iyer could be a possible inclusion who could solve such concerns for the coach, Gautam Gambhir.
Shreyas Iyer expresses availability to feature in Duleep Trophy
Indian white-ball cricketer Shreyas Iyer has expressed his desire to play Test cricket and has hence informed the Mumbai Cricket Association of his availability for selection for the upcoming Duleep Trophy.
The Duleep Trophy will kick off on the 28th of August, and the Indian batter is looking forward to the West Zone for his probable selection.
Shreyas Iyer has featured in 14 red-ball matches for India and has scored 811 runs at an average slightly over 36. He has a hundred and 5 fifties to add to his stats.
However, Iyer, despite being a crucial part of India's white-ball innings, has not played competitive Test cricket for India since February 2024.
He has, however, been part of the Indian World Cup 2023 squad as well as the 2025 Champions Trophy squad that won the tournament.
Iyer is also regarded as one of the most deserving skippers among current Indian skippers, as he has led three teams to the finals of the IPL, the latest being the Punjab Kings.
He won the maiden IPL title in 2024 with the Kolkata Knight Riders and was then picked for a whopping INR 26.75 Crores in the IPL 2025 mega-auction by the Punjab Kings.
Other players opting to play for Duleep Trophy; India's England tour snub also raises a hand for participation
Other than Shreyas Iyer, the Mumbai Cricket Association has likely reported that many other players have also shown interest in featuring in the Duleep Trophy round.
The player is revealed to be Indian middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, sidelined from the Indian squad for England. It also included Indian all-rounder Shivam Dubey and former CSK pacer Tushar Deshpande.
“Iyer has informed us that he is available to play in the Duleep Trophy. Other players like Sarfaraz, Shivam Dubey, and Tushar Deshpande have confirmed their availability,” a source of The Indian Express in the MCA confirmed to them.
Indian players are likely not to be picked for the Duleep Trophy
Though the stance of the selection committee has not been cleared yet, there is doubt whether they will consider picking up players who are now part of India's Test team in England.
It is understood that the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur might not be picked by the West Zone, considering some rest for the two players, while the South Zone also confirmed not picking up the likes of KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, and Mohammed Siraj, who come from a hectic tour of England.
The 2025-26 domestic season will begin with the Duleep Trophy on the 28th of August and will come to an end next year with the Senior Women's Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy on the 3rd of April.
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Tagged:
Duleep Trophy Shreyas Iyer Shivam Dubey Sarfaraz Khan Tushar Deshpande India National Cricket Team MCA
