It wasn’t a great start for any of the Mumbai batters in the second half of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, as they were bundled out for just 120 runs in one and half-session with the best score being 51 from Shardul Thakur at number eight. Shreyas Iyer could contribute with only 11 runs in seven balls, thanks to his one boundary and one over-boundary.
Shreyas Iyer finished the first half of the red-ball domestic tournament of this season as the leading run-getter for Mumbai with the help of 463 runs in six innings at an average of 77.16 and a strike rate of 89.72, shouldering on two centuries, with the best score of 2233 runs. But it wasn’t a return he would have expected.
Jammu and Kashmir showed their skills with the ball and in the field at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in BKC, Mumbai. They took a lead of 86 runs in the first innings after finishing with 206 runs. Their opening batter, Shubham Khajuria, celebrated a fine half-century, while a few batters from the middle and lower-middle order contributed with the blade.
Shreyas Iyer was blamed for his white-ball approach in the Ranji Trophy 2024/25 by Basit Ali
Shreyas Iyer is expected to feature only in this Ranji Trophy 2024/25 fixture before joining the national side for the three-match ODI series at home against England, as a preparation for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to begin on February 19, while India will be playing their very first game against Bangladesh on the following day at the Dubai International Stadium.
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The former batter of Pakistan, Basit Ali, has slammed Shreyas Iyer for his failure in the Ranji Trophy clash. The Karachi-born wasn’t delighted with the batter’s approach, stating that he should not play in the same white-ball manner all the time.
“Iyer made 11 runs from 7 balls. It is a four-day game. Three batters were dismissed in front of you. Play white-ball cricket in that format itself. If red-ball cricket is happening, play it like red-ball cricket. This is my simple advice. We will see what they do in the second innings.” The former batter of Pakistan expressed in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
By the time Shreyas Iyer was dismissed, Mumbai was struggling to get even 80 as they found themselves seven down for 47 runs. Ultimately, they were bundled out for just 120 runs. Ali reckoned that Iyer should have played more responsibility, considering the state and situation of the side.
The 30-year-old was dropped from the longest format of the national side with 811 runs under his belt in 24 innings at an average of 36.86, thanks to one century and five half-centuries. The last Test match for Shreyas Iyer was in 2024 when he faced England at Visakhapatnam.
This round of the Ranji Trophy grabbed a few more eyeballs with the return of the senior players, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant, in the domestic cricket after a long time.
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“Rohit Sharma got out, Jaiswal got out, Gill got out, Shreyas Iyer got out. It is a four-day cricket. When so many players are playing, Iyer has to score a hundred, Rohit has to score a hundred, Jaiswal, Gill, and even Pujara are playing, will everyone score?” Basit Ali opined.
Iyer finished the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2024-25 with the help of 325 runs in five innings at an average of 325 and a strike rate of 131.57 with the help of two centuries. He will aim to continue the same touch in the England series at home.