Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has weighed in on Shreyas Iyer’s omission from Team India’s squad for the Tests against England. He believes that the batsman’s recent performances have made him lose his place in the squad.

Shreyas Iyer was not named in the Indian team during the last three Tests against England. The batsman was dropped from the team after his poor performances in Test cricket of late. He also came under a lot of scrutiny for his torrid outings.

Shreyas Iyer was expected to play an important role in the Test series against England. But it turned out to be one of the team’s biggest disappointments in two games. It wasn’t like he was struggling to get going. He had starts but failed to convert them and had low scores.

In the four innings of the ongoing Test series against England, Shreyas Iyer posted scores of 35, 13, 27 and 29. Considered to be the best spin batsman, the right-hander perished to the spinners and his wicket put pressure on the team every time. time.

Sanjay Manjrekar believes Shreyas Iyer had a big chance in the last game but he didn’t cash in. He added that despite the long journey, the batsman failed to make his mark. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, he explained:

“I think he had a great opportunity in the last innings where Shubman Gill was able to capitalize. And he also scored before that in South Africa. So what we have seen with the management of this team and the new selection committee. They give a fair run to the players and it is not just the home series but Shreyas Iyer’s recent performances in Test cricket have made him lose his place in the team.”

While talking about Shreyas Iyer’s Test future, Sanjay Manjrekar feels that the batsman, in a bid to strengthen his skills in white-ball cricket, has lost his Test match skills. He added:

“T20, 50 overs, looks pretty good. He also had a very good World Cup. And he is working on the skills needed for T20s and senior 50s. Whether you like it or not and whether it is inevitable, you are actually diminishing your testing skills. His improvement in white-ball cricket, especially batting, comes at the cost of Test batting, which mainly consists of leaving balls outside the stump and playing them close to the bat.”

Just develop a game where you have confidence in defense: Sanjay Manjrekar on Shreyas Iyer

Sanjay Manjrekar said that Shreyas Iyer needs to decide which format he wants to prioritize. He added that if a batsman wants to keep Test cricket at the top, he needs to develop a game in which he has confidence in defence. He added:

“Two things you never want to do in T20s. Basically, you have to decide which formats you will try to excel in. If test matches remain his priority, then he will have to work on his defensive game, whether it be pace and rebounding or spin.

“Just develop a game where you have confidence in defense. Then when you take the aggressive route, it’s like an extension of the defensive game where you try to dominate and not escape the pressure or release it by playing the counterattacking game.”

It remains to be seen what Shreyas Iyer’s future will be in Test cricket. With Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul in the mix, it will be difficult for him to make a comeback.