Former India opener Aakash Chopra has poured cold water on hopes of seeing Shreyas Iyer in India’s Test squad anytime soon, despite the 30-year-old's standout performances in recent months across formats.
While Iyer was India's top scorer in their victorious ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign and had a stellar run in both the IPL and domestic red-ball season, Chopra believes there is a long queue ahead of him when it comes to Test selection.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"Shreyas Iyer won’t get a chance now. Many others haven’t gotten a chance either," Chopra said on his YouTube channel. "If you think about it, Karun Nair has only just gotten his chance. Sarfaraz Khan hasn’t been given a shot. Dhruv Jurel is waiting on the sidelines. If he cannot even get among those who are in the waiting line, then how can he be considered for selection?"
Iyer has indeed had a superb run. He scored 480 runs in just seven innings in the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy at an average of 68.57 and a strike rate above 90. He then followed it up with a career-best IPL season, scoring 604 runs in 17 matches and leading Punjab Kings to their first final in nine years.
Still, Chopra emphasised that red-ball opportunities will only come with patience. "I know he had a good first-class season. He had a good IPL, took Punjab Kings to the final, did well in white-ball cricket — but his time will come in Tests. He will have to wait just a little bit."
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan, another contender, continues to impress. After three fifties and a 150 in six Tests, he struck 92 for India A against England Lions and followed it up with a century in the intra-squad match ahead of the England series.
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