Shreyas Iyer set to play for Mumbai at Buchi Babu tournament ahead of IND vs BAN Tests, confirms MCA
Shreyas Iyer is set to play in the Buchi Babu tournament ahead of the Test series between India and Bangladesh, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) confirmed on Tuesday, August 13. The right-handed batter will play for Mumbai against Jammu and Kashmir, scheduled to begin on August 27 in Coimbatore.
In a press release, the MCA said:
“Shreyas Iyer will play for Mumbai team at the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament organized by Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. He will be playing the Mumbai v Jammu & Kashmir match to be played from 27th August 2024 at Coimbatore.”
Earlier this year, Iyer played for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy after being left out of the last three Tests of the five-match Test series against England. The right-hander was dropped after returning with scores of 35, 13, 27, and 29 in the first two Tests.
Iyer, who has also lost a central contract, will be keen to deliver in the Buchi Babu tournament to impress the selectors ahead of India’s squad announcement for the Bangladesh Tests. India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan (no central contract) has been offered a similar path to return to the international fold.
Overall, Iyer has 811 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 38.86, including one century and five 50s.
“When I raised my concern, no one was agreeing to it” – Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer, in an interview in May, revealed that he missed a lot of domestic games because of back issues. The right-hander added that the management didn’t agree with his concern, which led to his ouster from the central contract. Iyer said (via ESPNCricinfo):
“I was definitely struggling after the World Cup in the longer format. When I raised my concern, no one was agreeing to it.”
“But at the same time the competition is with myself. When the IPL was approaching all I wanted to see was that I've put my best foot forward and whatever planning and strategizing we [KKR] did before it, basically if we could execute it to the best of our abilities," he added.
Shreyas Iyer has been in and out of India's Test squad since the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to a back injury. With former Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir appointed India’s new head coach, Iyer is likely to get another chance to prove himself in the longer format.