Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav underperform in Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament
Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav, two leading Indian cricketers, have underperformed in the ongoing Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament. In the match against Tamil Nadu, Iyer was out for just two runs, while Yadav scored only 30 runs. This was Iyer's first red-ball match since returning from an injury sustained during the England series earlier this year.
Tamil Nadu set high score in Buchi Babu tournament
In the first innings of the match, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association XI (TNCA XI) set a challenging total of 379 runs. This was primarily thanks to half-centuries from Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Baba Indrajith, Boopathi Kumar, and Ajith Ram. Mumbai's bowler Himanshu Singh emerged as a standout performer by claiming five wickets. Despite a strong start from openers Musheer Khan and Divyansh Saxena, Mumbai's batting line-up stumbled after the dismissals of Iyer and Yadav.
Iyer and Yadav's journey in red-ball cricket
Iyer, formerly a key middle-order player for India in Tests, lost his spot due to an injury sustained during the England series earlier this year. He also missed out on the Ranji Trophy as per BCCI's directive, resulting in losing his central contract. Meanwhile, Suryakumar has played only one Test for India in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he scored just eight runs. Despite his success in white-ball cricket, he is determined to establish his value in Test cricket.
Buchi Babu tournament: A platform for Test squad selection
Both Iyer and Suryakumar are competing in the Buchi Babu tournament to earn a place in India's squad for the two-Test series against Bangladesh. They will also feature in the Duleep Trophy where Iyer will lead Team D. Sarfaraz Khan, leading Mumbai in this tournament, aims to earn a spot in the full-strength Test squad for the upcoming home season after his debut against England earlier this year.
Their numbers in Test cricket
India's white-ball star Suryakumar has featured in only Test match against Australia at home. He scored a modest eight runs in his short innings, with a strike rate of 40.00. However, middle-order batter Iyer has played 14 matches, scoring 811 runs at an average of 36.86 with the highest score of 105. He also owns one Test century and five half-centuries. Iyer has featured in 9 matches at home, racking up 534 runs at an average of 35.60.
