India National Cricket Team bowling legend Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his views on the comeback of the star middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer to the Test team.
Ravichandran Ashwin said that the return of Shreyas Iyer to the Test team shouldn’t happen on the back of a good Indian Premier League (IPL) season for Punjab Kings (PBKS) as formats shouldn’t be mixed.
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Shreyas Iyer only part of India’s ODI setup
The 30-year-old right-handed batter Iyer is currently only part of India’s ODI setup and is no longer in the scheme of things in Test and T20I cricket.
He has sealed his position as the No.4 batter in the ODI team by delivering consistent performances. In the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Iyer scored 243 runs at an average of 48 and was India’s highest run-scorer.
However, Iyer has failed to replicate his ODI success in Test and T20I cricket, which resulted in him being axed from the formats. He last played a Test match for India in February 2024 against England and his last T20I was against Australia in December 2023.
Overall, Shreyas Iyer has played 14 Tests, 70 ODIs, and 51 T20Is for India National Cricket Team and has scored 811, 2845, and 1104 runs, respectively.
Tell me one thing: how can a good IPL lead to a Test call-up? – Ravichandran Ashwin
In a video shared on his official YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin was discussing the chances of Punjab Kings when one panelist talked about how a good outing in IPL 2025 might lead to Iyer’s Test return.
This didn’t sit well with Ravichandran Ashwin, who fired back, saying that a good IPL campaign shouldn’t be the reason for a Test comeback and that mixing the formats should be avoided.
“Tell me one thing: how can a good IPL lead to a Test call-up? How can you improve your Test credentials if you have a good IPL? If you do well in ODIs, someone writes an article about having that player in Tests,” Ashwin said on his channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
“If someone does well in Tests, people start talking about return in T20Is. Isn’t all this wrong? If you have a good IPL, then only your T20I credentials should improve,” he added.
Shreyas Iyer has done really well – Ravichandran Ashwin
The legendary off-spinner further lauded Shreyas Iyer for doing a fantastic job for Team India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and for playing an instrumental role in the IPL triumph of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last year.
“Shreyas Iyer has done really well. The form he showed in the Champions Trophy, I won’t be surprised if he carries on in the IPL. He is a fabulous player. He was instrumental in helping KKR win the title last season,” said Ashwin.
Meanwhile, Iyer has all but confirmed that he will be batting at No.3 for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025, where the franchise will be opening its campaign on Tuesday, March 25, against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
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