IND vs BAN: Shreyas Iyer thrown into a corner by former Pakistan legend; warning and threat issued

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has taken a brutal dig at Shreyas Iyer after his mode of dismissals in the ongoing Duleep Trophy. Basit even claimed that Iyer does not have the hunger for red-ball cricket and is only looking for boundaries.

Shreyas Iyer's poor Duleep Trophy campaign continued in the second match as well. Playing for India D, he came in to bat at No. 3. Iyer arrived at the crease in a little different style while wearing sunglasses.

But that did not change his luck as as dismissed for a seventh-ball duck by left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed. It was another poor outing for Iyer who had an ordinary first match with the bat as well.

Also read: IND vs BAN: "Virat Kohli had no business..."- Tabraiz Shamsi

Basit Ali tears apart Shreyas Iyer; claims "he's only hungry for boundaries"

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit Ali reckoned that Iyer blamed Iyer for the lack of concentration resulting in his dismissals. He even called him lucky because Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara are not playing in the tournament.

“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,” Basit said.

The ex-Pakistan batter even added that Iyer does not have the hunger for the longer format of the game and is only hungry for boundaries. Basit even blamed Shreyas Iyer for disrespecting the game.

“Iyer doesn't have the hunger for red-ball cricket anymore. He's only hungry for boundaries. You should prioritize it. If he's thinking he is similar to Virat Kohli after hitting two centuries in the World Cup, no, it doesn't happen that way," Basit reckoned.

"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,” he added.

Shreyas Iyer is a naturally aggressive player who likes to take the bowlers on. He is regarded as a good player of spin bowling and has also played some significant knocks for India in Tests during his short career so far.

Duleep Trophy important for Shreyas Iyer

The ongoing Duleep Trophy was seen as a stepping stone for Shreyas Iyer's return to India's Test team. However, his below-par performances with the bat so far haven't helped his cause. He registered scores of 9 and 54 in the first match against India C.

The right-hander looked good in the second innings by scoring a brisk half-century but could not play a long innings as India D lost the match by 4 wickets.

Shreyas Iyer is not a regular part of India's Test and T20I teams but is a key player in India's ODI plans. He had a brilliant ODI World Cup last year where he scored 530 runs in 11 matches at an average of 66.25.

He was also a part of India's Test team but lost his place during the home Test series against England earlier this year due to poor form.