Shreyas Iyer was a notable omission when India’s Test squad for the ongoing England tour was announced last month. Despite the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the middle-order batter was overlooked in the Test side.

There was a lot of anger directed towards head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel for ignoring Iyer, who has had a good first-class season for Mumbai.

Shreyas was dropped from the Test team in February last year, before he lost his central contract for failing to adhere to BCCI’s directive of playing domestic cricket when not on national duty.

Strong performances in white-ball cricket brought him back to the annual contract list. However, a Test return is still awaited.

Meanwhile, former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra reckons Shreyas Iyer needs to wait for his chance in Tests due to the existing competition for the middle-order spots.

Chopra mentioned that the likes of Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel are still waiting for their opportunities. Hence, it is only fair that Shreyas has to wait for his chance to be included in the squad.

“There is no problem with the batting as such. But he has to wait for his chances; he won't get a chance straightaway right now. He would've never made it to the squad for the England tour. The remaining ones also haven't had their chance,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“If you think about it, Karun Nair has played just now. Sarfaraz Khan is not being given the chances. Dhruv Jurel is sitting outside. The players who are already there, if they aren't only getting the chances, then how can Shreyas Iyer get a look in?” he added.

“I know he had a good first-class season. He had a good IPL, took Punjab Kings to the final. He did well in white-ball cricket, but his time will come. He will have to wait just a little bit,” he further stated.

While addressing the media after the Test squad announcement, chief selector Agarkar had said that there is no room for Shreyas Iyer in the Test team currently despite his strong domestic performances.

"Yes, Shreyas Iyer has played well in domestic cricket, but at the moment, there is no room for him on the Test Team," Agarkar had told reporters in Mumbai.

Shreyas Iyer has represented India in 14 Tests so far, amassing 811 runs at an average of 36.81. He has one century and five fifties to his name in the longest format.