When he led Team India and the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Sourav Ganguly was one of Ajit Agarkar's strongest supporters. Agarkar has produced memorable performances under Ganguly's leadership, but none stand out more than his six-wicket haul in Adelaide in 2003, which helped India win a notable victory against Australia. Ganguly was so fond of Agarkar that he didn't think his KKR squad was at its best until Agarkar got hurt. Agarkar's last game for his country was over a year ago. Shreyas Iyer was not included in India's Test team for the England tour due to the Ganguly-Agarkar connection, but the former India captain did not hesitate to blame the Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee for this omission.

Due to his difficulties against the short-pitched balls, Iyer, who previously played in India's middle-order during their trip to England, fell out of the Test team. However, the right-hander made a loud declaration by performing well in ODIs and rejoining the ranks of India's best run-scorers at the 2024 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. For Mumbai, Iyer continued his upward momentum with a successful domestic season in all formats.

Iyer led the Punjab Kings to their first IPL final in 11 years in between winning the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. The 30-year-old scored 604 runs in 17 IPL games this year. With a strike rate of 175, he was by far the best hitter in the top 10 of the Orange Cap standings this year.

Iyer wasn't chosen by Agarkar and his selection committee for the Indian Test team, though. According to reports, Iyer wasn't the subject of much debate because the selectors and team administration felt that Iyer had a lot to improve in red-ball cricket.

Ganguly: 'Shreyas Iyer should have been in the India Test squad'

Given his present form in all formats, Iyer ought to have been in England, according to Ganguly. "In the last year, he has been playing at his best and should have been a member of this squad. For him, the previous year has been amazing. He was not the player who was left out. Currently, he is performing well under pressure, accepting accountability, and playing the short ball effectively. Despite the differences in Test cricket, I would have put him in this series to see what he could do, Ganguly told RevSportz.

Iyer was under the watchful eye of the previous BCCI secretary during his tenure as the Delhi Capitals' Director of Cricket. The Mumbai Falcons, who have already qualified for the Mumbai League 2025 finals, are now led by Iyer.

New captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Rishabh Pant will have to do the hard work of the middle-order batting in the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Unless India opts to field a seam-bowling all-rounder in Shardul Thakur or Nitish Kumar Reddy, Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair may both get a chance in the XI.

Ganguly responded "Yes, sure" when questioned if he is giving India a chance heading into the series. All we need are two things: good hitting and [Jasprit] Bumrah's fitness. With a youthful batting lineup and no [Virat] Kohli or Rohit Sharma, we prevailed in Melbourne, Australia (2020–21). Therefore, I don't understand why we can't win.

The five-game test series begins on June 20 at Leeds.

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