Ranji Trophy is more difficult than India A: Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer has been one of the most consistent performers in the domestic circuit in the last few years. The Mumbai star has been churning out runs almost at all levels and across formats which helped him to make his international debut in 2017. Iyer who last played in the national colors in February 2018 has been in good form in the ongoing season as well. In October last year, he led Mumbai to the Vijay Hazare Trophy title win, scoring 373 runs at an average of over 93.

Last month, the right-hander blasted a 139-ball 178 in the Ranji Trophy tie against Baroda. In the following game, he slammed 83 off just 60 balls, helping Mumbai take the command against Saurashtra. The knock comprised as many as seven sixes, three of them off successive balls from left-arm spinner Dharmendra Jadeja. Unsurprisingly, he always is on the radar for selection in the national team.

However, with not too spots available in the team, Iyer has failed to cement his place as of now. As a result, he has been a regular player for India A for quite some time now. His last appearance came during India A’s tour of New Zealand where he scored two fifties in the three-match one-day game. A few days later, he received a big setback after being dropped from the T20I squad for the upcoming series in New Zealand.

The snub would have been a hard pill to swallow for the youngster as he was recently recalled to the squad for the series against Windies and Australia. However, he did not play a single game before the selectors decided to exclude him again.

Playing Ranji Trophy difficult than playing for India India A:

An experienced Ranji Trophy player, Iyer has not made a startling claim, insisting that the level of country’s premier first-class tournament is tougher than that of A teams where the fringe players of each country battle hard to secure a place in the senior team.

“Sometimes I feel Ranji Trophy is more difficult than India A. When it comes to India A, you have already performed consistently in Ranji Trophy, proven your worth and have come to a higher level,” Iyer told Sportstar.

“You play along with players from other states and with so many exposure tours, you are sort of settled into the India A set-up along with other regulars. Suddenly coming back to Ranji Trophy, you have to get re-acquainted with some of the players in the state team whom you may not have played with,” he added.

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