Shreyas Iyer continued his fine nick in the ongoing edition of the Ranji Trophy as he battered Odisha enroute to a stunning double-ton at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Mumbai. It was Shreyas Iyer‘s third first-class 200, with it coming a few weeks post a spectacular 142 against Maharashtra.
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra praised Shreyas Iyer for his double-century for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match against Odisha. Aakash Chopra said that Shreyas Iyer might feel unfairly treated due to his quick drop from the Indian Test team despite his consistent batting performances.
Shreyas Iyer scored a double century against Odisha at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC in Mumbai on Thursday, November 7. He reminded selectors of his potential amid the lean patch in Test cricket. He scored 233 runs off 228 balls, including 24 boundaries and nine sixes, in the first innings.
Shreyas Iyer Lost His Spot In India’s Test Team Earlier This Year
The 29-year-old Shreyas Iyer lost his spot in India’s Test team during the England series earlier this year due to a series of disappointing performances. Shreyas Iyer has also been excluded from India’s 18-member squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which is set to begin in Perth on November 22.
It’s worth mentioning that Shreyas Iyer has not been included in the 15-member squad for the four-match T20I series against South Africa, starting on Friday, November 8, in Durban. The middle-order batter last played for the Men in Blue in an ODI against Sri Lanka, where the team suffered a 0-2 loss.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted that Shreyas Iyer was unfairly treated with his exclusion from Tests and lack of a central contract despite his consistent performances across the formats.
Aakash Chopra shares his opinion post Shreyas Iyer’s double century in Ranji Trophy 2024-25
Aakash Chopra has lauded Shreyas Iyer for scoring a double-century in Mumbai’s first innings of their Ranji Trophy 2024-25 clash against Odisha. He noted that the middle-order batter might be peeved about the potential injustice meted out to him.
Shreyas scored 233 runs off 228 deliveries in Mumbai’s first-innings score of 602-4 declared in Mumbai on Thursday, November 7. Odisha ended Day 2 at 146-5 in their first innings.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, the former India opener noted that Shreyas might think he has been unfairly treated after playing a substantial knock for Mumbai.
“Shreyas Iyer has scored another double hundred. He was hitting. The match is going on at the BKC (Bandra Kurla Complex). He hit a straight shot to reach his double hundred. He has scored his highest first-class score. He has been consistently scoring runs for the last little while,” he said
“He might be thinking that injustice has been meted out to him because he scored a century on his Test debut, and then he is now not part of the Test team. He was dropped very quickly. After that, he scored 500 runs in the World Cup while batting at No. 4, and then he didn’t get the central contract,” Chopra added.
Shreyas Iyer hasn’t been picked in India’s 18-member squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 starting in Perth on November 22. He hasn’t been selected in the Men in Blue’s 15-member squad for the four-match T20I series against South Africa starting in Durban on Friday, November 8.
Aakash Chopra on Shreyas Iyer being available in the IPL 2025 auction
While acknowledging that he isn’t aware why Shreyas Iyer hasn’t stayed with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Aakash Chopra noted that the franchise’s IPL 2024 winning skipper has not been retained.
“After that, he made his team win in the IPL but KKR didn’t retain him. Whether KKR didn’t want to retain him or he asked for more money, I have no idea. However, whatever the story might be, the truth is that he has not been retained,” he said in the same video.
The renowned commentator concluded by pointing out that Shreyas Iyer has shown that he is at his run-scoring best heading into the auction.
“So he is going to come in the auction now and he has scored quite a few runs before the auction to show that he is in form and that his heart is at the right place, that he wants to play and do well. So Shreyas Iyer scoring a double hundred is a thumbs up with both hands,” Chopra observed.
Aakash Chopra also urged the other Indian players to play domestic cricket whenever possible. He noted that while Virat Kohli played his last Ranji Trophy game in 2012, the long-retired Sachin Tendulkar played for Mumbai a year later. With Shreyas Iyer without a BCCI contract as of now, it remains to be seen when he will be considered back in the reckoning of the international setup. It will also be an intriguing watch as to the franchises which would be targeting him at the forthcoming mega auction for IPL 2025 in Jeddah.