Ranji Trophy: Out of favour Shreyas Iyer departs for 3 in semi-final clash against Tamil Nadu

After a controversial absence in the quarter-final clash of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024 against Baroda, Shreyas Iyer's return to the domestic circuit turned out to be a forgettable affair as the right-handed batter was dismissed for 3 on Day 2 of the semi-final clash between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu, which is being played at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy, BKC in Mumbai.

A lot has gone down after Iyer made his previous Ranji Trophy appearance against Arunachal Pradesh in January. After playing in that encounter, the Mumbai batter joined the Indian team and played the first couple of Tests against England in the ongoing five-match Test series. He scored just 104 runs from the four innings and was subsequently dropped from the squad for the following games, in light of the string of low scores from his bat.

After the exclusion, Shreyas was asked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to participate in first-class cricket. However, he didn't pay heed to it and was subsequently excluded from BCCI's central contracts list in a shocking and completely unprecedented move by the cricketing board.

He finally decided to make himself available for Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy tournament. On Sunday, March 3, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain came out to bat at no. 6 at the fall of Mumiai skipper Ajinkya Rahane's wicket. Iyer was dismissed for just 3 runs off eight balls as former KKR teammate Sandeep Warrier got the better of him.

Mumbai in spot of bother as Tamil Nadu keep fighting

Sai Kishore and co. were blown away for 146 in their first innings thanks to a disciplined bowling effort from Mumbai. Tushar Deshpande bagged three wickets and received commendable support from the others in the group.

In reply, Mumbai have failed to get going and are struggling at 125/7 at Lunch on Day 2. Apart from Musheer Khan, who scored a 131-ball 55, no other Mumbai batter has managed to make their presence felt. Hardik Tamore and Shardul Thakur will resume proceedings after lunch. Tamil Nadu wouldn't want to rest on their laurels as Mumbai bat very deep. No. 10 batter Tanush Kotian and No. 11 batter Deshpande are coming off excellent centuries in the quarter-final encounter against Baroda, hs.

Also Read: Report: Ajit Agarkar furious with Shreyas Iyer's KKR academy visit