"You are considering white ball criteria for one player" - Mohammad Kaif slams Sai Sudharsan's selection over Shreyas Iyer for ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif questioned Sai Sudharsan's selection for the England tour on the basis of his white-ball exploits over the experienced Shreyas Iyer. The left-handed batter earned his maiden red-ball call-up after narrowly missing out on one during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series.

Following Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's Test retirements, Team India are tasked with reinforcing the batting unit altogether. While KL Rahul is likely to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, there is a major question mark over the next two spots. Newly appointed captain Shubman Gill will take up a slot, which leaves room for one more. The likes of Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, and Abhimanyu Easwaran are expected to be in contention for the same.

Shreyas Iyer's absence was addressed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who mentioned that there is no place for the right-handed batter in the team at the moment.

“Yes, Shreyas Iyer has played well in domestic cricket, but at the moment, there is no room for him in the Test Team," Agarkar said during the squad announcement press conference.

Mohammad Kaif, however, pointed out that if white-ball performances were being considered for Test team selection, then Shreyas Iyer has an equal, if not bigger, say than Sai Sudarshan in that regard.

"Sai Sudharsan is a brilliant player, no doubt. But he was picked in the Test squad after a good IPL season (679 runs and counting). Iyer, meanwhile, has been doing well for so long. He scored some 550 runs in the 2023 ODI World Cup and in the Champions Trophy as well. He is still doing a terrific job with the bat for Punjab Kings – 514 runs and counting. He is captaining too. So on one hand, you are considering white-ball criteria for one player and not for the other," Kaif said on his YouTube channel (via India Today).

Team India's tour of England begins with the series opener in Headingley, Leeds on June 20. The five-match series officially kicks off the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

Shreyas Iyer last played a Test for India during the home series against England in 2024

The right-handed batter's last Test match appearance for India came during the second Test against England in Vizag in 2024. After not being among the runs, he was dropped for the remaining three matches.

Since then, as far as red-ball cricket is concerned, he has played in the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament, the Duleep Trophy, and the Ranji Trophy. He scored 480 runs in five matches for Mumbai in their Ranji semi-final run under Ajinkya Rahane.