Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer will be playing red-ball cricket again as he has been named in Mumbai's squad for their upcoming semifinal against Tamil Nadu from March 2, Cricbuzz reported. Iyer has been absent from competitive cricket ever since his appearance for India in the second Test of the ongoing series against England. He also missed the Ranji quarterfinal against Baroda.
Iyer's ongoing absence became a curious case with several reports flowing on the Internet on him. He was first dropped from India's squad for the last three Tests against England with his poor scores of 27, 29, 35 and 13 giving no support to his retention. He experienced back spasms but according to the ESPNCricinfo, he was cleared for selection. Subsequently, he did not feature in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal for Mumbai citing back spasms, according to an MCA selector.
In some media reports, Iyer told his state team that he is struggling from a back injury, but Nitin Patel - NCA chief of sports science and medicine - denied he had any fresh injuries. Now he is set to feature in the semifinal as he has recovered from the injury.
Mumbai made their way into the semifinals despite a draw with Baroda in the quarterfinal. On the back of the first innings lead of 36 runs, Mumbai made their way into the last four clash. This adds more strength to the Mumbai side, which survived a first-innings collapse before a special Musheer Khan double-ton saved them.
Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah had warned the centrally contracted players for not prioritising domestic cricket over IPL. He said that every cricketer aspiring to play for the Indian team must prove himself in the domestic arena.
"Some players have begun prioritising the IPL over domestic cricket, a shift that was not anticipated. Domestic cricket has always been the foundation upon which Indian cricket stands, and it has never been undervalued in our vision for the sport," he told the players.
"It is essential to recognise that domestic cricket forms the backbone of Indian cricket and serves as the feeder line to Team India. Our vision for Indian cricket has been clear from the outset - every cricketer aspiring to play for India must prove themselves in domestic cricket. Performance in domestic tournaments remains a critical yardstick for selection, and non-participation in domestic cricket will carry severe implications," Shah added.
Mumbai's squad: Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Bhupen Lalwani, Amogh Bhatkal, Musheer Khan, Prasad Pawar, Hardik Tamore, Shardul Thakur, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Aditya Dhumal, Tushar Deshpande, Mohit Avasthi, Royston Dias, Dhawal Kulkarni.
