Has BCCI Pushed Shreyas Iyer Away from Red Ball Cricket?

Shreyas Iyer, India A’s captain for the unofficial Test against Australia A, first pulled himself out of the game moments before the start. Now, he has announced an indefinite break from red ball cricket, citing mental fatigue, as some questions are also being put up by the fans to the BCCI.

Shreyas Iyer has been in stellar form these days, and at this point, a player would be eager to get his place in the Indian team. Iyer was a part of the India A team as a captain against Australia A, but moments before the second unofficial Test, he pulled himself out of the game and went back to Mumbai.

Although Dhruv Jurel was announced as the captain of the India A team for the match, the reasons behind Iyer's pulling off at the last moment were unclear. Hours later, Shreyas Iyer reportedly that he will be taking a break from the Test format, citing back stiffness and mental fatigue.

However, fans think that it is the BCCI that has forced Shreyas Iyer to take a break from red-ball cricket. With the selectors ready to announce the squad against West Indies, Shreyas Iyer's deciding to take a break from the Test format has been a bit concerning for the fans. Let's take a look at how the last two years have been for Shreyas in the game.

1. BCCI Shows No Mercy Post-Injury

Shreyas Iyer was among the top batsmen for the Indian team in the World Cup 2023. He ended the campaign by scoring 530 runs in 11 matches at an average of 66.25, with two centuries and two half-centuries. However, in early 2024, his back issues resurfaced, due to which he was not able to play for the team.

At this moment, BCCI also had to announce its new Central Contract, where various new names were included. But Shreyas Iyer, who played a vital role for India in the 2023 World Cup, had his name excluded from the contract, despite being ruled out due to his back injury.

2. Return Ticket to Domestic Cricket

After this, the BCCI forced Shreyas Iyer to play in domestic cricket if he wanted to get his name back on the Central Contract. When Iyer returned to the game, he took the challenge way too seriously, as he went on to prove himself as a batsman and a captain, both.

First, he led Mumbai to win the Ranji Trophy 2024 edition, helping the team to assert its dominance. Later, he also participated in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Mumbai, and despite the format being T20I, he again led his team to win the title. With this, Iyer had won consecutive titles, proving himself in the domestic format.

In the IPL 2024 season, he also led Kolkata Knight Riders to win the title after a decade, making them the third most successful team in the history. Iyer continued his dominant presence in the domestic format, as he even led Mumbai to win the Irani Cup after 27 years.

Eventually, Shreyas Iyer became a part of the Indian team in the Champions Trophy 2025, and also gained his spot in the Central Contract. In the Champions Trophy, he finished as India's top run scorer with 248 runs in 5 matches at an average of 48.60, missing by a few runs to win the Golden bat. Since then, he has not played a single game for the Indian team.

Politics or Pure Bad Luck for Shreyas Iyer?

The case of Shreyas Iyer seems to be a mix of both bad luck and BCCI politics to some cricket fans. He performed well for the Indian team in the Champions Trophy 2025, being the top run scorer, and even led Punjab Kings to the IPL finals after 11 years. Still, he is being sidelined from the team as he was not even picked in the Asia Cup squad.

Shreyas Iyer also said that in his stint with KKR as a captain in IPL 2024, he was not appreciated for his efforts as a captain. Several cricket fans also think that Iyer being excluded from the Indian team is mainly due to Gautam Gambhir, who is the Head Coach of India, and was also the Head Coach of KKR, when Iyer led them to win the title.