New Delhi: Had it not been for a rare knee injury to Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer might not have turned up for India at no.4, a position he has thrived on and made his own in the past couple of years, in the ODI series opener against England in Nagpur on Thursday. Playing his first game for India after nearly six months, Iyer took to the game as fish to water and produced a fabulous knock under pressure.
By his own admission Iyer, despite being India’s best batter at no.4 over the last few years, was not the first choice in the playing XI for the opener against England in Nagpur. His inclusion was a last-minute change after Kohli had to pull out due to a knee problem. But Iyer made sure, he reminded the team management of what they would have missed out on with a stellar knock.
He walked out in the middle with India in a spot of bother at 19/2 in the 249-run chase but took little time to settle down and forge a match-winning partnership with Shubman Gill. Iyer was the aggressor in the partnership as he looked at ease, displaying his range of shots while taking the England bowlers to the cleaners.
He raced to his half-century off just 30 balls and finished with 59 off 36 deliveries studded with a stunning 9 fours and two sixes. Iyer dealt in boundaries in the majority of his knock en route to his 94-run stand with Gill which paved the way for India’s dominant victory. Despite having made his comeback after nearly six months, Iyer looked at home and didn’t put a foot wrong in what was a phenomenal knock.
If anything, his comfortable return and confident knock was a lesson for some of his senior pros that running away from domestic cricket won’t help. Iyer’s return was proof that the senior Indian players need to embrace domestic cricket, which might help them get into the grove and prepare well for major assignments when not on national duty.
Shreyas Iyer sets an example
Iyer set an example with his magnificent return to international cricket as he showcased how playing regular domestic cricket helps a player stay in the groove. Iyer enjoyed a stellar domestic season last year as he won the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 with Mumbai leading the team to a memorable triumph in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024.
Iyer also won the Irani Cup title with Mumbai and played a key role in his side’s success. After getting snubbed from BCCI’s central contracts last year, Iyer went on to prove his mettle in the domestic circuit with runs in one tournament after another. The right-hander had an average Duleep Trophy where he notched up 154 runs from six innings but bounced back in the Ranji Trophy.
Iyer hammered 480 runs for Mumbai in five matches in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 at a brilliant average of 90.22 and is currently their second-highest run-getter in the tournament despite having missed their last game. Iyer smashed 345 runs from eight innings at an average of 49.28 to help Mumbai win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 and scored 325 runs in just 5 innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Thanks to his toil and prolific run in the domestic circuit, Iyer had no trouble in tackling the quality England bowling attack in the 1st ODI in Nagpur on Thursday despite having arrived in the middle with the hosts under pressure.
The star batter has set the perfect example for the seniors to follow and proved why domestic cricket should be a non-negotiable for senior India players. However, it remains to be seen if the others will take a cue and start playing domestic cricket more regularly.
Shreyas Iyer looked at ease tackling the England bowlers and played a fabulous knock to help India thrash England by 4 wickets in the 1st ODI in Nagpur on Thursday. Iyer’s magnificent return was a proof that senior India players need to embrace domestic cricket and not run away from it. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
