Even after a strong campaign in the home ODI World Cup 2023, the star Indian batter was surprisingly excluded from the BCCI contracts 2023-24.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has chosen the upcoming tour of Australia to start off their preparations for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, and its first step was handing over the captaincy to Shubman Gill, who had done a tremendous job in his maiden leadership assignment during the England vs India five-Test series. Besides this, the management has also elected the star batter Shreyas Iyer, who had once lost his central contract with the board, as the deputy of Gill.
But how did the player, who had once fallen out of favour with the board, make his way back to the team as well as into the leadership core? Let’s find out.
Even after a strong campaign in the home ODI World Cup in 2023, the star Indian batter was surprisingly excluded from the contracts of 2023-24 for not taking part in domestic cricket, especially in the prestigious Ranji Trophy. However, the batter had mentioned his back issues as the main reason behind not turning up for Mumbai in that domestic season.
But the comeback of Shreyas made more headlines than the unexpected setback. The batter’s performance witnessed a massive improvement since losing his central contract. He went on to win five successive titles across different levels of the game, including the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 and the Irani Cup.
He also led Mumbai to their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) title and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy after a decade. Notably, this blazing run of form could not guarantee him a spot in India’s playing XI for the home ODIs against England in February 2025.
But the 30-year-old ultimately made it to the final XI as the former India captain, Virat Kohli, unfortunately missed out on the series opener due to a knee injury. Shreyas grabbed the opportunity with both hands, like he always did, to notch up 181 runs in three matches at an extraordinary average of 60.33, leading up to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
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Following a magnificent three-match series against England at home, India’s formidable No.4 ODI batter once again stood tall in an ICC event, to strengthen his spot in the format. Several players had starred in Men in Blue’s victorious campaign in the Champions Trophy 2025. But Shreyas outshone all to become the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament, only behind New Zealand’s youngster Rachin Ravindra.
The batter’s remarkable outing to score 243 runs in five matches, averaging 48.60, had finalised his spot in India’s ODI squad for the future. Shreyas had also regained his national team contract just after his crucial contributions to India’s second ICC title in nine months.
Moreover, Shreyas’ exceptional leadership skills to qualify the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their second-ever IPL Final in his maiden season with the franchise, made him an automatic choice to take over the vice-captaincy of India in ODIs. Fans would expect him to thrive in his new role and carry on with a similar momentum in the overseas series against Australia, starting on October 19 in Perth.
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