Indian batter Shreyas Iyer fails to impress on red-ball return
Indian batter Shreyas Iyer has been in a downward spiral since being excluded from the BCCI's central contract list in February this year. His recent performance in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament saw him score only 24 runs for Mumbai against Tamil Nadu. 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.
TN take early lead after scoring 379
In the first innings of the match, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association XI (TNCA XI) set a challenging total of 379 runs. This was primarily due to 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 perished for 156 after the dismissals of Iyer (2) and Suryakumar Yadav (30).
TN give a massive 510-run target
Tamil Nadu continued their strong performance in the second innings, posting another 286 runs on the scoreboard. SR Athish, S Lokeshwar, and Mokit Hariharan slammed half-centuries for them. They set a challenging target of 510 for Mumbai to chase down. In their pursuit of this target, Mumbai were off to a steady start besides losing early wickets.
Mumbai lose by 286 runs
For Mumbai, Iyer and Sidhaant Aadhhathrao added a 49-run stand for the third wicket. However, CV Achyuth dismissed the former for 22 in the 42nd over. Meanwhile, Suryakumar was absent hurt in this innings. Mumbai were bowled out for 223 in 72.5 overs, with the TNCA XI winning the match by 286 runs.
Iyer's future in red-ball cricket and upcoming matches
Iyer's recent performances have raised questions about his future in red-ball cricket. He was once considered a potential replacement for veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane in Test cricket. However, an untimely during the England series and subsequent lack of performance in the Ranji Trophy knockouts resulted in him losing BCCI's central contract. Both Iyer and SKY, who also struggled to make a mark, will be seen next in the upcoming Duleep Trophy.
