"If I was India's selector, Iyer wouldn't have been in the Duleep Trophy at all" - Basit Ali brands India D skipper unsuitable for red-ball cricket
Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali has lambasted Shreyas Iyer's red-ball form following yet another poor return in the ongoing 2024 Duleep Trophy. The India D skipper was dismissed for a seven-ball duck by Khaleel Ahmed in the clash against India A in Anantapur.
Iyer had caused quite a stir by coming into bat with sunglasses on. He perished in the fourth over after holing out to mid-on in a bid to get off the mark. The right-handed batter has had a difficult time in red-ball cricket of late, and lost his place in the national squad for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.
Even in the Duleep Trophy opener, Iyer was dismissed for nine runs, but managed to score a quickfire fifty during the second time of asking. He came into the Duleep Trophy on the back of some shaky form, scoring only 38 runs in three matches during India's ODI series loss against Sri Lanka.
Basit Ali noted that Iyer does not have the temperament to succeed in red-ball cricket, and blamed him for only eyeing boundaries.
As a cricketer, it saddens me to see him. If you are getting out in front, your concentration isn't in the game. And especially the red-ball game. He has scored two centuries in the World Cup, he's an IPL-winning captain, he should've scored 100-200 runs here. Iyer is so lucky that Rahane and Pujara aren't playing in Duleep Trophy,” Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel.
“Iyer doesn't have the hunger for red-ball cricket anymore. He's only hungry for boundaries. You should prioritise it. If he's thinking he is similar to Virat Kohli after hitting two centuries in World Cup, no, it doesn't happen that way. I'm sorry to Indians who like him, but if I was India's selector, Iyer wouldn't have been in the Duleep Trophy at all. He's not respecting the game," he added.
Iyer was not among the runs during the Buchi Babu tournament for Mumbai either. He returned scores of 2 and 22 respectively in the heavy loss to the TNCA XI.
Shreyas Iyer is falling behind in the middle-order race
Iyer's own poor form is coinciding with the rise and consistency of Sarfaraz Khan, and the returns of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. With several candidates for the No.5 and No.6 roles in the squad, Iyer will have to make a resounding statement to earn the selectors' trust again.
Iyer's stint as captain of India D is also off to a bad start. The side suffered a four-wicket loss to India C in the opening round, and were bundled out for 183 in the first innings against India A, handing them a mammoth lead in the process.