Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell has sharply criticised Shreyas Iyer after Team India’s decision to exclude the out-of-form batter from the squad for the remaining England series. Iyer’s recent struggles with the bat, managing a mere 104 runs in two Tests at a modest average of 26, led to his omission due to poor form and injury concerns.
Chappell commended the return of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, and asserted their strengthening impact on the squad. He expressed satisfaction that the selectors made the right call in dropping Iyer, who has endured eight Test innings without a half-century. Chappell’s remarks highlight the significance of form and selection precision in the high-stakes cricket domain.
“India is a strong side and they also have a good leader in Rohit Sharma. They will be greatly strengthened by Ravindra Jadeja’s and KL Rahul’s recovery from injury, but that Virat Kohli will not return for the rest of the series is a blow. Hopefully the selectors will now stop overestimating Shreyas Iyer’s batting ability and learn to value Kuldeep Yadav’s wicket-taking capability more,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo.
Also Read: Why is Shreyas Iyer dropped for last three Tests?
Stokes’ bowling is a distinct weapon: Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell opined that England captain Ben Stokes’ return to bowling and slip fielding would be a significant boost for the team. Stokes, recovering from knee surgery, refrained from bowling his medium pace in the two Tests against India. Chappell expressed hope for Stokes to engage actively in the early batting stages.
“It will help England enormously if Stokes is once again able to function as an allrounder, as his bowling is a distinct weapon. It would also help if he fielded in the slips, especially to the spinners, as he is one of the best in that position. One personal area Stokes could look at is his own batting. If he were more proactive at the start of each innings, it would improve his play. Stokes is a very good batter but he’s at his best when he’s looking to score,” wrote Chappell.