ENG vs IND 2025: 'I haven't heard too much from the selectors' - Bairstow still hopeful for comeback despite being ignored for Tests versus India

For more than a year now, Jonny Bairstow has been out of the national cricket team selectors' top preference list. England has been facing tough challenges against India in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar trophy. After winning the third Test at Lord's cricket ground, the home team now leads the race 2-1.

The experience keeper-batter can only watch the match from outside, as a viewer only. Bairstow last played his Test match on March 7, 2024, at Dharamshala, against India. Since then, the 35-year-old has been counting days for a probable comeback in the Whites. Bairstow was once considered as one of the most prolific batters in the world to score runs flawlessly. Even he was among the first few players who adopted the Bazball strategy under head coach Brendon McCullum. After making some reshuffles in the squad, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided to put the right-handed batsman outside contention.

Jamie Smith is now doing the glove work behind the stumps and played promising knocks against India in the ongoing series. Jamie Smith is England's current wicketkeeper-batter in the red-ball format, and he is the leading run-getter for the Three Lions in the ongoing five-match series against India. Bairstow is still hopeful about his comeback in his nation's colors. 

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Bairstow still hoping for the best

"I am still contracted. I haven't heard too much from them, if anything, to be honest with you, but that's the part and parcel of it. Brooky (Harry Brook) came out and said that he wanted a certain type of player who can take down the best bowlers in the world, and I definitely fit that mold and have done so for a long period of time," Bairstow said. 

"I am really pleased to be spending a lot of time out on the field, even with the County Championship stuff and then going into the Hundred. From a robustness point of view, I am definitely knocking about. The other bits here, the leadership side of it, have been thrown at different challenges."