'Retiring Rahane and Pujara for Shreyas Iyer: Selector's Controversial Rant Stirs Indian Cricket Fans'

Shreyas Iyer's Duleep Trophy campaign has been a challenging one, with his recent performance only adding to the pressure he is facing. Following a loss to India C in the first match, Iyer was able to put up a quick half-century in the second innings after a poor start in the first. Despite this, he was left out of the squad for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh, leaving him with much to prove in the future.

The second-round match seemed like a pivotal moment for him to assert his Test credentials, but instead of making a statement with his bat, Iyer was dismissed for a first-ball duck. Walking out to the crease wearing sunglasses, a rare sight in cricket, he was promptly dismissed, adding to his woes.

The dismissal couldn't have come at a worse time for Iyer, who was looking to solidify his place in the Test squad. And Pakistan's former player, Basit Ali, wasn't too happy with Iyer's approach thus far. Terming the 29-year-old batter as ‘lucky’, Basit stated that Iyer doesn't have the “hunger” for red-ball cricket.

“As a cricketer, it saddens me to see him. If you are getting out in front, your concentration isn't in the game. And especially the red-ball game. He has scored two centuries in the World Cup, he's an IPL-winning captain, he should've scored 100-200 runs here. Iyer is so lucky that Rahane and Pujara aren't playing in Duleep Trophy,” said Basit.

“Iyer doesn't have the hunger for red-ball cricket anymore. He's only hungry for boundaries. You should prioritise it. If he's thinking he is similar to Virat Kohli after hitting two centuries in World Cup, no, it doesn't happen that way. I'm sorry to Indians who like him, but if I was India's selector, Iyer wouldn't have been in the Duleep Trophy at all. He's not respecting the game.”

Shreyas Iyer's 2024 has been a year of dramatic highs and lows. After being overlooked for BCCI contracts earlier in the year due to his seeming unavailability for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, the 29-year-old batter staged a remarkable comeback.

He played a pivotal role in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy title win and his leadership was influential in guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title.

Following his impressive performances in domestic and IPL cricket, Iyer made his return to the international scene during the ODI series against Sri Lanka in August. However, he was unable to reclaim his spot in the Test team, as KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan were preferred over him.

Despite this setback, Iyer's chance for a Test comeback is not entirely lost. With the BCCI only announcing the squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, a strong performance in the ongoing second round of the Duleep Trophy could still revive his prospects for a Test return.