Overview

• Chief selector Ajit Agarkar defended leaving out Shreyas Iyer, saying the panel had to pick only 15 and could not identify whom he would replace.
• BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia denied reports of any discussions about grooming Iyer as Rohit Sharma’s ODI successor.
• Ex-players including Dinesh Karthik, MSK Prasad and Manoj Tiwary questioned both Iyer’s absence and the decision not to use the ACC’s 17-player allowance.
• International voices reacted too, with Australia’s Brad Haddin and Alyssa Healy expressing surprise, while New Zealand’s Ross Taylor said the snub underscores India’s depth.
• Iyer was not named among the five reserves and, despite no T20I appearances since December 2023, is still expected to feature in India’s October ODI series in Australia; Suryakumar Yadav leads the T20 side with Shubman Gill as vice-captain and Jasprit Bumrah included.