Shreyas Iyer to captain India A in two multi-day matches against Australia A starting September 16 in Lucknow.
Shreyas Iyer Elevated as India A Captain, Karun Nair’s Test Future in Doubt
Shreyas Iyer might have been overlooked for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, but the batter has been elevated to India A captaincy, leading the side in two multi-day matches against Australia A, beginning September 16 in Lucknow. Former India batter Aakash Chopra believes this move clears the path for the 30-year-old to make a Test comeback.
Shreyas Iyer was not named in India’s squad for the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England. He last played a Test in 2024 but was sidelined following injury and his reluctance to play the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai. Although ousted from the central contracts list, strong performances in white-ball cricket earned him a return.
Speaking on Shreyas Iyer captaincy, Chopra also discussed Karun Nair’s uncertain Test future. In the series against England, Nair managed just one fifty in eight innings, scoring 205 runs. After eight years, he had earned a place in the Test squad, but despite his 2016 Chennai triple century fame, he failed to capitalize on starts 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,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra added, “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.”
‘Karun Nair won’t play further’
Aakash Chopra believes Karun Nair’s path has become tricky, with all signs pointing to his exclusion from India’s upcoming home series against the West Indies, beginning October 2.
Chopra also highlighted that Shreyas Iyer now has the opportunity to cement his place in the Test playing XI and could shine if selected for the series.
“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.