Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
This is a defining season for Shreyas Iyer in terms of his Test future. He is 30 years old and not getting any younger. Yes, Karun Nair did have a red-ball second wind at 33, which saw his return to the Indian team. But such comebacks usually don’t happen. Cricket eventually gave a few more chances to Karun, which he failed to grab, returning from England with 205 runs at 25.62 in four Tests. He is unlikely to be picked for the upcoming home series against West Indies in October.
There would be a middle-order vacancy and the selectors have dropped enough hints that they are considering Shreyas for the spot. Appointing him as India A captain for the ongoing multi-day series against Australia A was the first step to bring the Mumbai batsman back to the Test fold. His Asia Cup omission caused public outrage, but the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee never considered him, notwithstanding a fantastic IPL where Shreyas guided Punjab Kings to the final.
His T20I return is for the future, maybe closer to the World Cup next year. But at the moment, as RevSportz has reported, he is firmly in the scheme of things for the two-match Test series against the men from the Caribbean starting in Ahmedabad on October 2. His India A captaincy has come along the lines of that. In fact, according to a source in the know, Shreyas needs just one big innings in the unofficial Tests to get into the official Test squad. In a way, the two multi-day fixtures against Australia A could be considered as his audition.
The India A skipper was dismissed for eight, lbw to Corey Rocchiccioli. His innings lasted 13 balls and had one four. In a game where every other specialist batsman from his side made substantial contributions — Dhruv Jurel went on to score an unbeaten 113, Devdutt Padikkal was batting on 86 at stumps on Day 3, while Narayan Jagadeesan and Sai Sudharsan posted half-centuries — Shreyas would be disappointed not to get into the groove.
Australia A have some bowlers with international experience. Rocchiccioli is not one of them. The 27-year-old off-spinner has played 40 first-class matches and getting the better of someone who is an excellent player against spin was a big success. Shreyas is unlikely to get another opportunity to bat in this game, but he will have one more match after this to get back to red-ball form. He got out cheaply in both innings in the Duleep Trophy fixture against Central Zone as well.
Shreyas’ last Test was in February 2004, against England at Vizag. Much water has flown under the bridge since. He lost his central contract last season before being restored in the pool this term. He overcame a back-spasm issue that had at one point restricted him to playing just 60 balls at the nets. He earned his way back to the ODI side and played a pivotal role in India’s Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year. A Test recall beckons, and a good score will strengthen his case.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news