The 30-year-old has scored more than 6,400 runs in First-class cricket.
42-time champions Mumbai will begin their quest for the 43rd title in the Ranji Trophy, October 15 onwards. The team will travel to Srinagar for their first fixture after their practice match against Maharashtra in Pune. However, Mumbai are without one of their stalwarts this season. Shreyas Iyer will not be featuring in the Ranji Trophy for the upcoming season.
The 30-year-old wrote to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informing them of his decision to take a break from red-ball cricket. This decision comes on the back of his recovery, after going through a serious back injury a few months ago. However, Shreyas Iyer led India A to a series victory against Australia A in Kanpur.
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper was not named in the squad for the recently concluded Asia Cup, sending shockwaves in the cricketing fraternity. However, Shreyas will be on the flight to Australia, as a deputy to Shubman Gill for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia. The 30-year-old has been instrumental at the No.4 spot in ODIs, and will continue to stamp his authority.
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First things first, the Mumbai selectors have a headache. After Ajinkya Rahane stepped down from the leadership role after last season, the management will have to name a new skipper. Shardul Thakur seems to be the frontrunner for the role in the absence of Shreyas Iyer. Rahane, on the other hand, will continue to play as a batter.
Over the years, Shreyas has been a pivotal part of Mumbai’s middle-order. His ability to understand what the situation demands out of him and deliver consistent results has always made him stand out. In 83 First-class matches, he has notched up 6408 runs at an average nearing 50. To add to that, he has smashed 15 hundreds and 33 fifties in his career so far.
Although the absence of Shreyas will dent Mumbai a bit, it will be a great chance for the likes of Hardik Tamore, Musheer Khan and Suved Parkar to rise to the occasion and stamp their authority. To add to that, Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian will be expected to provide solidarity to the lower middle-order, which they have done brilliantly in the past.
Though Ajinkya Rahane will be playing just as a batter, his experience will help Shardul Thakur pave the way for the team out of difficult situations. As far as Shreyas is concerned, the team would have liked to have him on board, but his omission would not have a great impact on the side, provided the quality they have.
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