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Shreyas Iyer. (Photo source: X)

Harbhajan Singh questioned the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee's decision to leave out of the Indian squad for the five-match Test tour of England, beginning on Friday, June 20.

Despite performing consistently as a player and as a captain during the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Shreyas couldn't earn a recall in India's red-ball setup. Many fans and experts have been criticising this call since the 18-man squad sans Shreyas was announced last month.

Harbhajan said that Shreyas has proved himself in the ODI circuit and wondered whether the selectors are not considering the right-handed batter a red-ball cricketer at the moment. 

“Shreyas Iyer is a very fine player. He's proven himself in ODIs, performed in the World Cup, Champions Trophy, and IPL. So yes, he should've been in the squad. But maybe the selectors don't see him as a red-ball player right now,” Harbhajan said while speaking on the sidelines of the Vidarbha Cricket League launch in Nagpur.

The former India off-spinner, however, said that had he been the selector, he would have definitely picked the Mumbai batter in India's Test team for the highly-anticipated tour of England. However, he said that it's not the end of the road for the 30-year-old as far as his career in the longest format is concerned. Harbhajan also named Shreyas as a potential candidate for ODI captaincy in the future.

“If I were part of the selection committee, I would have considered him. But this is not the end — his journey is long, and he might even be a future ODI captain. One missed tour doesn't mean his career is over," he added.

Harbhajan suggested that Sai Sudharsan, who won the Orange Cap in IPL 2025, could bat at No. 3 for India in the Tests against England. The cricketer-turned-expert highlighted the Tamil Nadu batter's exemplary IPL performance and sound technique.

“In my opinion, Sai Sudharsan should play at No.3. He's a left-hander, in top form, and just came off a very impressive IPL. His technique is sound, and I believe he could be the solution at that position," Harbhajan mentioned.