Shreyas Iyer's elevation to India A captaincy will see him ‘get back into Test XI’: ‘Won't see Karun Nair playing'

Shreyas was not named in India's squad for the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England. He last played a Test in 2024, but he was shown the door following his injury and then the reluctance to play the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai. Shreyas was also ousted from the central contracts list, but later, he made his way back due to strong performances in white-ball cricket.

While speaking about Shreyas' captaincy, Chopra also spoke about how Karun Nair might not get another chance in the Test playing XI after the right-hander failed to set the stage on fire in the series against England.

In the four innings he played against England, Nair went past 50 just once, scoring 205 runs in eight innings. After eight years, he had earned a place in the Test squad. Famous for scoring a triple century in 2016 against England in Chennai, Nair kept getting starts and then throwing his wicket away in the UK.

“Shreyas Iyer is the captain of India A for the multi-day matches against Australia A. Dhruv Jurel is the vice-captain. Abhimanyu Easwaran used to be the captain, but that is no longer the case. He is a member of the team, but he is not the captain. If you see the last few tours, there has always been a new captain. The leadership of late has been a case of musical chairs,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.

Also Read: Karun Nair's Test career could be officially over after the selectors' decisive move with India A squad

“Why has Shreyas been elevated as the captain? It is because the No.3 and No.6 slots in Tests are still open. Sai Sudharsan and Easwaran are also in the squad, but Karun Nair is not there. It is a big step because Karun asked for a second chance, and he was given that. He performed okay-okay; he was shuffled up and down the batting order. I thought the upcoming West Indies series would see Karun Nair being included,” he added.

‘Karun Nair won’t play further'

Chopra also said that Karun's road ahead has become slightly tricky, and all signs point to him not being named in the squad for the upcoming home series against the West Indies, beginning October 2.

He also stated that Shreyas can now become a regular feature in the Test playing XI as he might well set the stage on fire if picked for the series against the Windies.

“Unfortunately, it looks like you won't see Karun Nair playing further. He is not unavailable. He is fit and then not picked; it seems that the selectors have decided to look past Karun Nair. Shreyas is interesting. He was not picked for the Asia Cup, and there was a lot of backlash. Now he finds himself at the helm of India A team," said Chopra.

“Looking at the Indian team's next few assignments, you would think that Shreyas will play two of the three formats. He plays ODIs, and I think he would get a chance in Tests in the upcoming series against the West Indies and South Africa. The kind of pitches there are in India, I think, he will score runs. The door has opened up for him, and nicely,” he added.

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