Shreyas Iyer bounces back with Ranji half-century after contract snub
Indian batter Shreyas Iyer silenced his critics with a solid half-century in the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha. Iyer smashed a second-innings 95 for Mumbai as they set a target of 538 runs. The middle-order batter scored a mere seven in the first innings. Iyer made a statement after the BCCI excluded him and Ishan Kishan from the central contract list.
Iyer smashes a counter-attacking 95
In the second innings, Iyer arrived in the middle after Mumbai lost skipper Ajinkya Rahane at 164/3. The former joined Musheer Khan, who went on to score a fine century. While Iyer counter-attacked, Musheer held his fort. The duo took Mumbai past 330 to bolster their chances. Iyer missed his century by five runs, departing for 95 off 111 balls (10 fours, 3 sixes).
A look at the match summary
Mumbai racked up 224 after Vidarbha invited them to bat in the final. Shardul Thakur's late 75(69) bailed out Mumbai, who were down to 111/6 at one stage. In response, Mumbai's concerted bowling effort helped them bundle out the visitors for 105. Mumbai took a massive second-innings lead by smashing 418. Musheer, Rahane, and Iyer have been their stars. Vidarbha are now chasing 538.
Iyer's return to Ranji Trophy
Earlier this year, Iyer featured in the Ranji Trophy after five years. He turned up for Mumbai's second match against Andhra Pradesh. It was his first match in India's premier red-ball tournament since the 2018/19 season. Iyer smashed 48 in Mumbai's only innings as they won by a big margin. He then scored three against Tamil Nadu in the semi-final.
Iyer was dropped after two Tests
Iyer played the first two Tests against England. He was dropped thereafter, recording scores of 29, 27, 13, and 35. Reports suggested that Iyer was initially unavailable for the Ranji Trophy knockouts despite getting released from the Test squad. Notably, Iyer told the Mumbai Cricket Association that he had a back injury. However, the National Cricket Academy cleared him of any injuries.
Iyer's central contract snub
Iyer and Ishan had been under the scanner after the BCCI mandated the contracted players to play First-Class cricket. Subsequently, Indian captain Rohit Sharma clarified that only those who "have the hunger" to play will be prioritized in Test cricket. A few days later, the duo was excluded from the BCCI central contract list. Iyer has now proved his worth in the Ranji Trophy.
