In early 2024, Shreyas Iyer faced a big setback when he was excluded from BCCI’s central contracts. One of the reasons behind the batter’s axing was his tensions with the Indian team management. After being dropped from the Indian Test side during the England series, the board wanted him to play in the Ranji Trophy. However, Iyer chose to play in the DY Patil Tournament instead, which did not please the BCCI.
However, after being axed from the central contracts, Iyer played in the Ranji Trophy semi-final and final for Mumbai. But it was too late, and he didn’t find a place in India’s T20 World Cup squad. Leading KKR to the IPL 2024 title win came as a big relief for him. Gautam Gambhir played a huge role in KKR’s win and Iyer’s resurgence, and now Gambhir is expected to do the same for Shreyas Iyer’s India career as well.
Shreyas Iyer included in Gautam Gambhir’s ODI Plans
Gautam Gambhir is set to become the next Head Coach of India, and he has made some demands from the BCCI, including full command over the Indian team and changes in the white-ball and red-ball teams. The BCCI has accepted Gambhir’s demands, and amid, there are reports of Shreyas Iyer returning to the ODI team. It is likely part of Gautam Gambhir’s plan to bring him back into the ODI circuit.
As per reports, Shreyas Iyer will be included in the India squad for the 3-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in July-August. Though Iyer is not part of BCCI’s central contract players, he can still play for the Indian team. Iyer’s performance in the World Cup 2023 was exceptional, scoring 530 runs in 11 matches. As a result, he is now firmly in the ODI plans under Gambhir’s tenure as head coach.
However, Iyer is currently not in contention for T20I and Test formats. His batting performance in IPL 2024 was average, and he underperformed in the last Test series against England. Therefore, he is unlikely to be included in the T20I series against Zimbabwe starting from July 6. According to reports, players like Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, and Mayank Yadav will be part of the second-string T20I squad.