Mumbai vs Rest Of India, Irani Cup: Another chance for Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan to impress

LUCKNOW: It has been a topsy-turvy year for Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. They were talked up as the ones who will take Indian cricket forward but now, they must prove their worth to represent India again, especially in red-ball cricket.
Their reluctance to play longer formats had cost them their central contracts, but they are taking steps in the right direction to be on the Ajit Agarkar-led committee’s radar.
After the series win over England, then coach Rahul Dravid had said that both are “still in the mix” and urged them to “score runs” to force the selectors to pick them.
Kishan hasn't featured for India since opting out of the two-Test series in South Africa. Iyer lost his place in the Test squad after the second Test against England earlier in the year in Vizag. He did play in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in August, but on turning tracks, struggled, like most Indian batters.
After skipping the last domestic season despite the BCCI diktat, the 26-year-old Kishan has started the red ball season in earnest, striking centuries in the Buchi Babu Tournament and the Duleep Trophy.
Iyer sat out of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy quarterfinal last season, citing back spasms, despite the doctor giving him clearance, but played in the semis and the final where he scored a 95 in the second innings. The 29-year-old’s start this season has been sedate, but in scoring two breezy half-centuries in the Duleep Trophy, he showed that he is pursuing the principles of batting—scoring at a quick pace—put in place by India skipper Rohit Sharma, even in the longest format.
Both get another opportunity to force their way into contention when Rest of India take on defending Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the Irani Cup at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium from Tuesday.
Both spent considerable time in the nets on Monday under sweltering conditions with humidity above 80 %.
Besides them, there are many in both the teams who will be eager to put their best foot forward with one eye on the five-match Test series in Australia.
It starts with the opening spot. While Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the first-choice openers on a long tour like the Australia one, the team will need a reserve opener too.
For RoI, in the fray are Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhimanyu Eswaran and B Sai Sudharsan, and all of them had decent outings in the Duleep Trophy. Easwaran finished the tournament as the second-highest scorer with 309 runs in three matches with the help of two centuries, while Gaikwad and Sudharsan scored 232 and 211 runs, respectively. All three, if required, can be the No.3 back up for Shubman Gill.
There is also Mumbai’s Prithvi Shaw, who last featured for India in that fateful Adelaide Test in 2020 where India were bowled out for just 36. He can turn a game on its head with all-out aggression.
There will be plenty of focus on the pacers too. While India have picked four spinners for the Bangladesh series, they are expected to travel with just two or three Down Under, and if the conditions are conducive to pace as they are in Australia, they may go in with four pacers and one spinner. Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal and Khaleel Ahmed did well in the Duleep Trophy and will look to get another game to impress the selectors. They will be up against a strong Mumbai batting line-up which has the likes of Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan in their ranks. Dayal, Sarfaraz and Dhruv Jurel are expected to join their respective squads late on Monday as they have been released from the India team for the Irani tie.
Then there is Shardul Thakur, the hero of the Brisbane Test in the last series against Australia, where he took seven wickets in the match and scored a crucial 67.
Thakur said that India’s “bench strength is superb” before going on to add: “Everyone is eyeing a spot in the Indian team. I expect nothing but hard cricket being played. Whether it is Ishan, Prithvi or Shreyas, or anyone for that matter. Everyone will be trying to prove themselves. It’s a one-off game, so there will be a situation where you will have to give your best and that will count when it comes to selection.”