Ranji Trophy 2024 Final: Shreyas Iyer continues his dismal run as he gets dismissed by Umesh Yadav's short ball ploy

Shreyas Iyer's misery continued on Sunday, March 10, as he was dismissed cheaply on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy 2024 between Mumbai and Vidarbha at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

After Vidarbha opted to bowl first, Bhupen Lalwani and Prithvi Shaw got their team off to a brisk start and added 81 runs in 20 overs. However, the most successful team in Ranji Trophy history lost six wickets for 30 runs, much to the dismay of the fans who had arrived at the stadium.

Shreyas came out to bat at No. 5 after the departure of Musheer Khan. He hit a glorious drive past mid-off against Yash Thakur off the seventh ball he faced. Umesh Yadav was brought into the attack to pepper Shreyas with some short stuff, something that has caused the right-handed batter well-documented problems in his career.

The experienced Umesh bowled nothing in Shreyas' half in the first four balls. The batter left a couple before defending the next two. Umesh didn't change his plan and bowled another short of length delivery. This time, Shreyas, who seemed to have been expecting a short ball had his feet stuck to the ground. He guided the ball straight to Karun Nair at slip. The 29-year-old was dismissed for 7 off 15 balls.

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In the semifinals, Shreyas got to bat only once as Mumbai defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 70 runs. He only managed 3 runs off eight deliveries in that clash.

Tumultuous times for Shreyas Iyer continues with the bat

Shreyas played in the first two Tests of the five-match series between India and England. However, he failed to make an impact and was subsequently dropped from the side for the three following encounters. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain skipped playing in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals against Baroda, citing health issues. However, he was spotted at the KKR Academy in Mumbai, which didn't sit well with BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar.

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When the BCCI central contracts list was announced, Shreyas' name was excluded as a form of punishment. However, after India won the series against England by a 4-1 margin, head coach Rahul Dravid stated that the door is still open for players who haven't received BCCI contracts. Shreyas will hope to excel in the second innings of the Ranji Trophy final before switching to T20 mode as IPL 2024 is on the horizon.