Shreyas Iyer could manage to score just 3 runs off 8 balls before he was clean bowled by Sandeep Warrier during the Ranji Trophy semi-final match between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu on Sunday. It was Iyer’s first domestic match after he was not given a central contract by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The decision has created quite stir among both fans and experts alike with many thinking that the decision to exclude Iyer and Ishan Kishan was correct and it can serve as an example for younger cricketers who may look to prioritise the IPL over playing red-ball cricket.
Earlier, Iyer skipped a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai as he claimed he was having a back issue. However, a report in The Indian Express, said the NCA gave a contradictory fitness report on him.
During this time, several media publications have claimed, Shreyas Iyer attended a pre-IPL camp with Kolkata Knight Riders. This seems to have irked the BCCI selectors, who recommend players’ name for central contracts.
According to a report in Revsportz, Iyer went to the KKR Academy to build his workload. “After playing 60 balls in a session, his back was building spasms. He had to build up his resistance. Now he is playing 200 balls per session. In three weeks, he has put on three kilos of muscles. The Mumbai Cricket Association and the Mumbai team head coach (Omkar Salvi) have been kept in the loop. In fact, the Mumbai coach visited the KKR Academy several times to monitor Iyer’s progress. And now he has made himself available for the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu,” the person said on conditions on anonymity.
“He skipped the IPL to play the World Cup. Even after the surgery, he took three painkiller injections to be pain-free for the World Cup. And yet, the pain returned during the semi-final and the final, and he played through it. Iyer was the only player who wasn’t given a break after the World Cup. He played the home T20I series against Australia and then went to South Africa. After returning from South Africa, he was asked to play a Ranji game in January, ahead of the first two Tests against England. He did that. Doesn’t a player have the liberty to train under a coach of his choice?”
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