The Indian cricket team is scheduled to tour England for five Test matches in June. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced an 18-member squad last Saturday, which elicited varied emotions from fans and the cricketing community.  

One of the most heated debates was the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who had an outstanding local and international performance. The selectors were questioned for ignoring Shreyas' outstanding performance, with one journalist asking that Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of the selectors, provide a thorough and elaborate response.

On the other hand, Gautam Gambhir, India's head coach, responded with “Main selector nahi hoon," translating to 'I am not the selector', when a journo asked him about Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from the Indian Test team for the England tour.

It was shocking to learn from this response that coaching personnel are not involved in the selection process.  

'He doesn't pick; he only rejects,' said former Indian pacer Atul Wassan in a hilarious jab at the Indian coach during an episode of Bails and Banter on the OTTplay app. Reacting to Gambhir's comment, Wassan said that a coach plays a key role in the team selection process.

He said, "The coach has a role in team selection, and selectors also listen to them before naming the squad."

Wassan went on to defend the Indian head coach, stating that, whether it is correct or wrong, there are instances when a coach has followed his instincts while choosing his players.

"If he (Gautam Gambhir) has been given this position, then I think he deserves to go with his feeling, whether it's right or wrong,” Wassan added.

Iyer has amassed 811 runs in 14 games, including a century in his first encounter against New Zealand, which was followed by a half-century. In addition, he helped India avert a scare by scoring 92 against Sri Lanka and making vital runs of 86 and 87 against Bangladesh.

Shreyas Iyer’s shortcomings against the short deliveries have been well documented. In 2022, England's head coach, Brendon McCullum, famously signaled the throat-cut, telling his bowlers to attack the batter with a flurry of short balls during India's postponed fifth Test match in Birmingham. Iyer fell into the trap, scoring 15 and 19, so the play was successful.