Shreyas Iyer named in Mumbai’s squad for the Ranji Trophy 2024 semifinal against Tamil Nadu
Indian batter Shreyas Iyer has been named in Mumbai’s 16-member squad for the Ranji Trophy 2024 semifinal against Tamil Nadu, which will be played at the BKC Ground in Mumbai from March 2 to 6.
Shreyas, who was dropped from the Indian squad for the last three Tests against England, did not feature in the quarterfinals against Baroda amid conflicting reports about his fitness.
Nitin Patel, the head of the NCA told the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) that “Shreyas Iyer is fit and available for selection as per the handover report of the Indian team after the second Test match against England”. However, sources close to the player were quoted as saying in media reports that the batter had been experiencing back pain.
A report in news agency PTI stated that Shreyas has been named in the Ajinkya Rahane-led Mumbai squad for the Ranji Trophy 2024 semifinal against Tamil Nadu. The 29-year-old registered scores of 35, 13, 27 and 29 in the first two Tests against England. He had struggled for runs during the two-match Test series in South Africa as well.
Meanwhile, in-form all-rounder Shivam Dube has been left out of the Mumbai squad for the Ranji Trophy semifinal match. According to a report in Cricbuzz, he is undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA and will require at least three more weeks to attain full fitness. As such, he is unlikely to be available for the final of the tournament if Mumbai qualify.
Dube scored 407 runs in seven innings at an average of 67.83, with two hundreds and two fifties before being ruled out.
Mumbai Squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Bhupen Lalwani, Amogh Bhatkal, Musheer Khan, Prasad Pawar (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Shardul Thakur, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Aditya Dhumal, Tushar Deshpande, Mohit Awasthi, Roystan Dias, and Dhawal Kulkarni
Shreyas Iyer will be under the scanner in Ranji Trophy 2024 semifinal clash
If Shreyas is picked in the Mumbai playing XI for the Ranji Trophy 2024 semifinal clash against Tamil Nadu, which is most probably going to be the case, he will be under the scanner for sure. While there are no doubts about his talent, there have been question marks about his form and fitness.
The right-handed batter has not scored a half-century in Test cricket since December 2022. He has also missed several matches due to his back issues, for which he even underwent surgery in London in April 2023.