Shreyas Iyer smashes career-best double century after being snubbed for Border Gavaskar Trophy

Out-of-favour India batter Shreyas Iyer has silenced his critics with a double century in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match between Mumbai and Odisha. Shreyas Iyer scored his second consecutive century in the tournament and his third First-Class double hundred on Thursday, November 7.

Shreyas had scored a 142-run knock off 190 deliveries in the match against Maharashtra. However, the right-handed batter missed the next match against Tripura. The middle-order batter returned to the Mumbai playing XI for the First-Class match against Odisha at the BKC Ground in Mumbai.

Shreyas Iyer Smashes Double Hundred Ahead of Border Gavaskar Trophy

Shreyas Iyer came to bat at number five for Mumbai after the early dismissal of skipper Ajinkya Rahane for a golden duck. Iyer and Siddhesh Lad guided the Mumbai team to 385 at stumps on the opening day, with both batters reaching centuries. Iyer remained unbeaten on 152 runs at the end of Day 1.

On Thursday, Shreyas converted his knock into his third First-Class double century. The batter reached the milestone in 201 balls, including 22 boundaries and eight sixes. Notably, this was his first double century since scoring an unbeaten 202 against Australia in the 2017-18 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Shreyas Iyer Boosts Chances of Test Recall

Shreyas Iyer's career-best knock in the Ranji Trophy has boosted his chances of a Test recall. After recovering from back surgery, Iyer is now in stronger form and fitness to return to the Test team. Notably, that the Indian Test squad has struggled with consistency in its middle order during recent series.

Iyer last played for India in a Test series against England earlier this year. He was dropped from the squad and lost his central contract. Iyer has not been part of India's Test squad since February 2024. His last ODI appearance came in a series loss to Sri Lanka, and his most recent T20I appearance was in 2023.

I Am Very Keen For A Comeback - Shreyas Iyer

The 29-year-old is focused on continuing his strong performances and staying in peak physical condition to secure a place in the Indian team again. He highlighted his commitment to controlling what he can and keeping delivering consistent performances.

“I am very keen for a comeback but (would try to) control the controllables. My job is to keep performing and keep participating as much as possible and also see that my body is in the best shape,” Iyer said, speaking earlier this month to Indian Express.

Shreyas led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 season. However, KKR released him before the mega auction. Iyer will now be part of the IPL 2024 mega auction, which is scheduled to take place on November 24-25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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