India’s top two players have returned to action through the domestic format. Shreyas Iyer will light up Ranji Trophy 2024 semifinals by playing for Mumbai. He has recovered from back spasms which ruled him out of the quarter-finals against Baroda. On the other hand, Ishan Kishan returned to the domestic arena when he featured for Reserve Bank of India in the DY Patil T20 tournament – a popular corporate tournament featuring top domestic players in Navi Mumbai. There are still some tough days for Shivam Dube who will stay out of action because of a side strain & wants to recover on time for the IPL 2024 when he will play for CSK.
Shreyas Iyer & Ishan Kishan came back into domestic cricket after India Captain Rohit Sharma said on Monday that players who “have the hunger” to play and perform in Tests will be prioritized when it comes to selection. Iyer who was picked for the first two Tests in the ongoing five-match Test series against England was excluded for the last three Tests after failing to deliver. Ishan Kishan’s absence became the talking point when he took a personal break in late December & then chose not to play in the Ranji Trophy. However, after the Indian Captain’s clear message, Ishan has returned to the domestic arena participating in the DY Patil T20 tournament. However, he could just score 19 off 12 balls.
Shreyas Iyer missed the Ranji Trophy 2024 Quarterfinals due to a Back Spasm
Shreyas Iyer was going to feature in the Ranji Trophy 2024 quarter-finals but had to miss it as a precautionary measure for his back spasm problem. This will be the second Ranji fixture for Iyer this season following the clash against Andhra in December ahead of the England series. Iyer is not a part of the England vs India Test series after being left out of India’s series-leveling win in Visakhapatnam. He made scores of 29, 27, 13, and 35 in his last four Test innings. His poor performance resulted in his exclusion from the rest of the three Tests. In Iyer’s absence, Sarfaraz Khan was awarded a Test cap where he proved his mettle by scoring two fifties.
Iyer’s return to the semi-final against Tamil Nadu increases the risk of recurring injury. As he missed the entire IPL 2023 due to a back injury & underwent surgery. He returned to the ODI setup ahead of the Asia Cup and was a key member of India’s World Cup side that finished runners-up. Iyer scored 530 runs in 11 innings including two centuries and three half-centuries. He will also lead KKR in IPL 2024 when he will team up with Chandrakant Pandit to guide Kolkata to their second title. Knight Riders have signed former captain Gautam Gambhir as a team mentor while Chandrakant walks in as their Head Coach.
In Ishan Kishan’s absence, India recalled KS Bharat to the lineup before handing a maiden Test cap to Dhruv Jurel who was also named the Player of the match for his match-winning 9 & 39 runs knock in the Ranchi Test. His brilliant knock helped India to take a 3-1 lead in the five-match Test series.
Mumbai squad for semi-final:
Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Bhupen Lalwani, Amogh Bhatkal, Musheer Khan, Prasad Pawar, Hardik Tamore, Shardul Thakur, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Aditya Dhumal, Tushar Deshpande, Mohit Avasthi, Royston Dias, Dhawal Kulkarni
