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'Will Stop Overestimating On Him' - Ian Chappell After Shreyas Iyer 'Dropped' From Tests

image-lsihzu24Shreyas Iyer (AP Photos)

Australian legend Ian Chappell was pleased to see Indian selectors finally act on middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer's prolonged dip in run-scoring and drop him for the final three Tests against England on Saturday (February 10). 

The former Aussie skipper said the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel and its members were perhaps "overestimating" Iyer's batting capability and have taken the right decision to axe his spot in an understrength and vulnerable batting unit, missing legendary No. 4 Virat Kohli.

Chappell's remarks were based on watching Iyer bat at the Test level for India over the past 12 months, with no half-centuries in his last 13 innings reducing the player's overall average to just 36.86 from 14 Tests with plenty of technical issues evident in his game.


Ian Chappell On Shreyas Iyer's Test Ouster 

In his column for ESPNcricinfo, Chappell said with the series levelled 1-1, India would be delighted to have an in-form KL Rahul and premier allrounder Ravindra Jadeja strengthening their middle-order and backed the selectors in dropping Iyer for lacklustre performances since a fruitful tour to Bangladesh in December 2022.


"India is a strong side and they also have a good leader in Rohit Sharma. They will be greatly strengthened by Ravindra Jadeja's and KL Rahul's recovery from injury, but that Virat Kohli will not return for the rest of the series is a blow," Chappell wrote. "Hopefully the selectors will now stop overestimating Shreyas Iyer's batting ability and learn to value Kuldeep Yadav's wicket-taking capability more."

There were reports that Iyer might be injured, too. However, there was no such mention in the official BCCI statement about the player, who made scores of 35, 13, 27 and 29 in Hyderabad, and Vizag while looking unsettled with his headspace and showing poor innings-building skills in the middle.