"Surprised that he's been out of India's side" - Ricky Ponting makes a huge statement about star batter ahead of Champions Trophy 2025

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting expressed his surprise at Shreyas Iyer's exclusion from the Indian team despite the luxury he offers as a reliable middle-order batter across formats. The right-handed batter scored a quickfire fifty for India in the first ODI against England in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6.

Iyer has been a regular for India in the ODI side of late, but his place was under scrutiny ahead of the England series. It was a late injury to Virat Kohli during training that brought Iyer into the playing XI at the last minute.

Once regarded as a mainstay in the Test setup, his last appearance came during the home series against England in early 2024. He has not been a part of the T20I side since late 2023 as well.

Along with Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer was not considered for selection for a brief while after being omitted from the central contract list. The pair had reportedly failed to turn up for domestic matches when not part of the national team last year.

In the latest edition of the ICC Review, Ponting credited Iyer for making a strong comeback through the 2024-25 domestic season.

"I've been a little bit surprised that he's been out of India's side the last couple of years. He had a terrific World Cup back in India where he played beautifully in the middle-order and I actually felt then that he'd almost cemented that spot and made that his own," Ponting said.

"Then he had those couple of injuries, obviously injured his back and went out of the side, but his domestic season this year has been brilliant. It sort of coincided with what he's done since around (IPL) auction time going forward in domestic cricket, he has been pretty much outstanding," he added.

Iyer had sustained an injury during the Test series against England, but recovered in time to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, and lead the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title.

After not being considered for the red-ball team, Iyer returned to the domestic circuit. He led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali title, and had a stellar Vijay Hazare Trophy with the bat to maintain top form.

"If Shreyas is out in the middle, then he's as good as anyone" - Ricky Ponting backs Iyer to have a prolific Champions Trophy 2025 campaign

Shreyas Iyer, being one of the better players of spin in the side, will have a crucial role to play in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. With India primed to play all of their matches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) they need a reliable presence in the middle order to prevent spinners from dominating the second powerplay phase.

Ponting opined that Iyer is a threat to the opposition on spin-friendly conditions, and has the ability to have a huge say in the upcoming tournament.

"He's got the game that will stand up to the white-ball formats, especially in that part of the world. On those wickets - the slower, lower wickets - he's dynamic on those. We know how good a hitter of spin bowling he is and teams tend not to bowl a lot of spin at India, but at some stage it's going to come. If Shreyas is out in the middle, then he's as good as anyone. So I'm delighted to see him back in their team," Ponting said.

Ricky Ponting worked closely with Shreyas Iyer when they were part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) set up as coach and captain respectively. The pair are set to be reunited as the batter was picked up by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) during the 2025 IPL mega auction, a franchise where the former Australian serves as head coach.