Shreyas Iyer Goes Back To Ranji Trophy Ahead Of Potential Selection For England Tests

10.01.2024 - 09:18 sports.ndtv.com

Star India batter, Shreyas Iyer is set to play for Mumbai in their second round fixture of the Ranji Trophy 2024 against Andhra Pradesh beginning on Friday ahead of the home Test series against England.

The right-hand batter is playing for his domestic side for the first time in the Ranji Trophy since the 2018-19 season. The home game at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in BKC provides an opportunity for the 29-year-old to improve his form ahead of the home Tests against England, which begin on January 25 in Hyderabad.

The Kolkata Knight Riders skipper had a rough South Africa tour, scoring 31, 6, 0, and 4 not out. Earlier this week, he was left out of India's T20I team for the three-match series against Afghanistan.

The two Tests in South Africa marked Iyer's first red-ball games in nearly nine months, following his recovery from a back injury sustained during the Border-Gavaskar series at home against Australia in February-March.

cricket India Cricket Team Shreyas Iyer Star India Ajinkya Rahane Australia South Africa India Afghanistan

A five-match Test series in 2024 is as rare as they come. England's red-ball tour of India, which begins on Thursday, is therefore significant not only because it offers fans a "traditional" full-length series, but also because it will be the biggest test of their eye-catching "Bazball" approach to Test cricket.

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"Stress Is Going To Be Lot...": Under-fire Shreyas Iyer Breaks Silence Ahead Of India vs England Test Series

Shreyas Iyer has been under focus since India's Tour of South Africa ended. The middle-order batter did not have a good Test series as he could not post a single big score in four innings. After that he was not picked for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan and there were speculation that the reason was some disciplinary issue. However, Indian cricket team coach Rahul Dravid clarified that it was not the case and he was not picked as there were other batters in contention. However, Shreyas Iyer will be under focus in the upcoming five-match series against England.

Snubbed For England Series, India Star Still Eager To Play 100 Tests

Ajinkya Rahane, the man who captained the Indian team in the memorable Border-Gavaskar Test series triumph in Australia in 2020-21 season, finds himself in a sticky position where he seems to have been fazed out of the Indian team. Rahane, who is with the Mumbai squad in the ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign, understands his situation but has not given up on playing 100 Tests for India as he remains determined for a comeback. Rahane last played for India on the tour of West Indies in July 2023. The 35-year-old, who has featured in 85 Tests, is captaining Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. "My goal is to secure both the Ranji Trophy and the bigger objective of playing in 100 Test matches," Rahane told reporters after Mumbai's second successive outright win in the competition.

"Something That...": Shreyas Iyer Breaks Silence On Snub For India vs Afghanistan T20I Series

Shreyas Iyer is neither losing his sleep over snub for the Afghanistan T20s nor is he overtly worried about the upcoming England Test series after a forgettable run in South Africa. Iyer was not picked for the ongoing T20 series against Afghanistan and people in know of things said that his missing out had more to do with Indian top-order being stacked with right-handers. "See, right now I'm being in the present. I have finished the match which I was asked to play (Ranji game against Andhra). I came, and I executed, so I am happy with what I'm doing.