Shreyas Iyer was one of the prominent omissions from the Indian Test squad selected earlier last month for the forthcoming tour of England. However, Ricky Ponting, the head coach of Punjab Kings, believes that this exclusion has only strengthened the resolve of the in-form batter to demonstrate the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee's error. Ponting made this remark following Iyer's achievement of becoming the second captain in history to lead Punjab to the IPL final, as the franchise faces the chance to break their long-standing title drought.

In a discussion on The ICC Review last week, the former Australian captain expressed his disappointment at Iyer's absence from the Indian Test team but noted that the Indian star has handled the setback admirably and has moved forward to assist Punjab in their quest for their first IPL title.

"I actually was gutted…but he's accepted that really well and he's moved on," Ponting stated. "He's just got that real hunger in his eyes to do well every time that he plays for us here and wants to win games of cricket and wants to evolve and develop into the best leader and captain that he can be."

Why Iyer could not make it to the Indian Test team?

Ponting expressed that Iyer's outstanding performance in the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year, where he emerged as India's top run-scorer and the second-highest overall, along with a commendable showing in the domestic red-ball season, was sufficient for him to secure a place in the Indian team.

"Other players selected for that (Test) squad have earned their spots based on strong first-class performances and successful IPL seasons leading up to the selection, and Shreyas has performed equally well as those players," Ponting remarked.

"I was disappointed that he was not selected, as I genuinely believed he would be. However, he was not chosen. I think this might make him even more determined when the playoff games arrive."

Furthermore, it likely positioned Iyer as a candidate for a return to the Test team for the first time since January 2024, when he was dropped during the home series against England. Nonetheless, Agarkar disclosed that currently, there is no space for him in the 18-man squad.

"Indeed, Shreyas Iyer has excelled in domestic cricket, but at this time, there is no position available for him on the Test Team," Agarkar stated during the press conference in Mumbai last month after the Test squad announcement.

Iyer is set to take the field on Tuesday in the IPL 2025 final against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad.

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