Poor Form in the Duleep Trophy 2024
Indian middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer, chances to secure a spot in the national test squad for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 seems to be in threat. He was not selected for the 16-member squad of the ongoing home test series against Bangladesh due to his poor scores in the Duleep Trophy 2024.
In 5 innings of the tournament so far, the India D captain scored just 104 runs with his highest score being 54 runs against India C.
Earlier, he was a reliable player in Team India’s middle-order batting line-up, but lost his place due to severe injuries and poor performance in test cricket, particularly on the overseas pitches. Iyer made his last test appearance in the 5-match home test series against England, but couldn’t score even a half-century and was dropped from the playing XI for the remaining 3 matches.
In recent times, the former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali said that Shreyas Iyer doesn’t have the basic eligibility to succeed in test cricket and his selection for the Duleep Trophy was unjustified.
After the 29-year-old Indian cricketer was dropped from the BCCI’s (Board of Control for Cricket in India) central contract list, he returned to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and had a successful campaign as the Kolkata Knight Riders captain.
Shreyas Iyer’s Scores and Performance in Duleep Trophy 2024
These are the scores Shreyas Iyer scored for India D against these teams so far in the current Duleep Trophy 2024:
- Scores vs INDIA C:
- 1st innings of INDIA D: 9 runs from 16 balls (including 1 four) at a strike rate of 56.25.
- 2nd innings of INDIA D: 54 runs from 44 balls (including 9 fours and 1 six) at a strike rate of 122.73
- Scores vs INDIA A:
- 1st innings of INDIA D: 0 from 7 balls
- 2nd innings of INDIA D: 41 runs from 55 balls (including 8 fours) at a strike rate of 74.55.
- Scores vs INDIA B: 0 from 5 balls (ongoing match)
Iyer commenced the 61st edition of the Duleep Trophy by scoring 9 runs and later scored a fast-paced half-century in the 2nd innings. However, he wasn’t able to maintain his form, as he was dismissed for a duck in the second match against India A and managed to score 41 runs while chasing a huge total of 488 runs.
Unfortunately, the Shreyas Iyer’s led India D lost both the games against India C by 4 wickets and India A by 186 runs.
BCCI Officials About Shreyas Iyer’s Selection in Tests: No Place in Test Squad
One of the BCCI officials confirmed to the Telegraph India that Shreyas Iyer won’t be included in the test squad based on his recent form in Duleep Trophy 2024:
“NO! Right now, no spot is available for Shreyas Iyer in the test squad. His shot execution has been a cause for worry in the Duleep Trophy, especially in the recent match against India A. Although he seemed to be set, he played a wrong shot (against the left-arm off-spinner Shams Mulani). You should use the opportunity while you are set and batting on a flat surface.
Possibly, Shreyas might get selected in the Mumbai squad for the Irani Cup (scheduled between October 01 to October 05). Even if he is included in India’s T20I squad for the Bangladesh series (from October 06 to October 12), he would still play in the Irani Cup and would participate for Team India from the second T20I match,” the BCCI official said.
Another BCCI official supports Shreyas Iyer by saying that has an alternative chance to perform in the Ranji trophy if he fails in the Irani Cup:
“Exactly! There is another chance waiting for him. If he doesn’t perform well in the Irani Cup too, then he still has Ranji Trophy to prove his abilities with the bat and score more runs. It was just a few months back that he was in his best form in the previous year’s ODI World Cup. We need to consider how he suffered an injury too. However, there is still one round left in the Duleep Trophy, and possibly he might score a century and regain form. Most likely, he won’t travel to Australia for his issues facing the short ball, but he cannot be ignored for his contributions at home venues.”
➤ Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 Schedule: India Tour of Australia 5-match Test Series
Overall Facts:
Shreyas Iyer has achieved a century and 5 half centuries in his test career by playing 14 test matches. Compared to his test average at home (35.80), Iyer maintains an impressive average of 39.57 on overseas pitches. But, he hasn’t scored any fifties or hundreds in 9 innings played on foreign soil and doesn’t have any decent scores in England or South Africa where the pitches are seam-friendly.
Overall, it is understood that Shreyas Iyer won’t be included in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He needs to showcase his worth in the upcoming Irani Cup and Ranji Trophy to grab the selectors’ attention by proving that he can adapt according to home and away pitch conditions to solidify his position in the test squad.
