More than just poor form: What led to Shreyas Iyer's downfall in Tests?

India batter Shreyas Iyer was left out of the Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh. Shreyas Iyer's omission comes after a prolonged battle with injuries, particularly recurring back problems, which have hampered his form in the longest format of the game. Throughout 2023, the 29-year-old struggled to maintain consistency due to his injury woes, often missing matches and failing to deliver significant performances when available. His lack of regular appearances and a string of low scores ultimately led to his exclusion from the Test squad.

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Iyer’s downfall also came in the wake of disciplinary action by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) as he was removed from the list of centrally contracted players for reportedly missing domestic cricket. The action came just a few months after his sensational campaign in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he became the first Indian to score over 500 runs batting at number four in the 50-over extravaganza.

A magnificent beginning to the Tests

Iyer accumulated 530 runs from 11 innings at an average of 66.25 and a strike rate of 113.24 with two hundred and three fifties. However, the right-handed batter failed to emulate his form in Test cricket. Iyer’s Test career got off to a rollicking start as he scored a phenomenal century (105) on debut and followed it up with a 65 in the second innings to win the Player of the Match award. He continued his form over the next 13 months, scoring 624 runs in his first 12 innings at an average of 56 with one hundred and five fifties.

Forgettable tours in South Africa and England

However, his technique was exposed big time on the overseas tours of England and South Africa, where bowlers exploited his weakness against short deliveries. From 2023 onwards, Iyer didn’t score a single half-century in Tests, scoring just 187 runs from 11 innings at an average of 17. His poor form came under massive scrutiny after India’s loss against England in the first Test earlier this year when he registered scores of 35 and 13.

He further failed to notch up a big score in the second Test as well registering scores of 27 and 29, while Shubman Gill ended up breaking his long patch of low scores with a magnificent hundred. As a result, he was immediately dropped from the squad for the next match, with Gill further consolidating his place in the team with scores of 91, 38, 52* and 110 over the next three Tests. The rise of Sarfaraz Khan and the return of KL Rahul in the Indian middle order also didn’t help Iyer’s cause.

However, despite losing his place, Iyer is determined to earn his spot back in the team as he started his quest with a half-century in the first round of the Ranji Trophy. The Mumbai cricketer will be looking to plunder runs in the upcoming Ranji Trophy as well and counter his short-ball weakness to become a lethal force in SENA conditions as well.

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