Shreyas Iyer to play Ranji Trophy ahead of Test series versus England after being ignored for IND vs AFG T20Is

Star batter Shreyas Iyer will play Mumbai’s upcoming Ranji Trophy fixture against Andra Pradesh after being ignored for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. The three matches will be played on January 11, 14 and 17.

Iyer, who smashed a match-winning fifty against Australia in his last T20I outing, also failed to make the playing XI during India's last T20I series in South Africa.

He will now compete in the Ranji Trophy fixture against Andhra, scheduled to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from January 12. The middle-order batter’s participation in first-class cricket comes a fortnight ahead of the five-match home Test series against England (beginning on January 25).

The 29-year-old failed to deliver during the two-match Test series in South Africa, returning with scores of 31, six, a duck, and an unbeaten four in his four innings. However, Iyer is likely to keep his place in the Test side, owing to his decent record in red-ball cricket at home, where he has amassed 430 runs in 11 innings at an average of 39.09, including one ton and three half-centuries.

The Test series between India and England will start at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

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Aakash Chopra slams selectors for dropping Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dubey and Ishan Kishan for IND vs AFG T20I series

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra recently slammed the selectors for dropping three players, including Shreyas Iyer, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released the India squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan. The cricketer-turned-commentator wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"Iyer was nominated as the Vice-Captain for the 5-match T20i series vs Australia. Was a part of the squad against SA too. Now, finds no place in the team vs Afghanistan. Dubey was in the squad vs Aus at home. Wasn't picked for SA. Back in the team vs AFG. Also, where is Ishan Kishen? Any news on his availability?”

The three-match T20I series will see the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the shortest format of the game for India.