Watch- Shreyas Iyer left alone seething as poor form continues to haunt him ahead of IND vs BAN Tests

Indian batter Shreyas Iyer is currently captaining India D in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2024, which got underway on Thursday, September 5.

Shreyas Iyer’s India D is taking on the Ruturaj Gaikawad-led India C in the tournament opener at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.

India C captain Gaikwad won the toss and invited Shreyas Iyer’s India D to bat first as the 2024-25 domestic season kicked off in Anantapur.

India C’s bowlers made an immediate impact, with Anshul Kamboj striking early by dismissing Atharva Taide (4 runs off 5 balls) in the very first over.

Shreyas Iyer dismissed early by Vijaykumar Vyshak in the Duleep Trophy 2024 opener

India D’s troubles deepened when captain Iyer fell in the sixth over, dismissed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fast bowler Vijaykumar Vyshak to continue his struggles. Iyer, known for his composed batting, started well and looked good before falling to resolute Vyshak.

With 16 balls behind him and just 9 runs on the board, the India D skipper was looking to build momentum in the Duleep Trophy 2024 opener in Anantapur. However, Vyshak was too good to sense the situation, delivering a well-placed ball that tempted Iyer into a shot.

Shreyas Iyer swung his bat, hoping to send the ball flying, but the fate was different. The ball caught the edge of his bat, flying towards the wicketkeeper, Abishek Porel. A sharp and alert Porel dove swiftly to complete the catch.

The crowd erupted as Shreyas Iyer’s brief stay at the crease came to a disappointing end, scoring only 9 runs off 16 balls with a solitary boundary to his name. Vyshak wasn’t done yet, as he struck again in the same over, dismissing Devdutt Padikkal for a duck, leaving India D in serious trouble.

Watch here how Iyer fell cheaply in the Duleep Trophy opener:

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— Kirkit Expert (@expert42983) September 5, 2024

There were expectations from Padikkal, but he could not even open his account in four balls and lost his wicket to the RCB pacer. In the next over, India D opener Yash Dubey fell for 10 runs off 12 balls, as Kamboj claimed his second wicket.

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— Kirkit Expert (@expert42983) September 5, 2024

Soon after, Ricky Bhui (4) and Srikar Bharat (13) also departed, while Saransh Jain ran out for 13, leaving India D struggling with seven wickets down for just 76 runs in 30.4 overs in the red-ball tournament opener on Thursday.

Shreyas Iyer's poor form with the bat continued this year

Speaking about Iyer, the 29-year-old has had a nightmare of the year 2024, with injuries and disciplinary issues causing his stock to fall to its lowest point. His last Test appearance for India was in February against England in Visakhapatnam, where he contributed a pair of 20+ scores.

After his poor performances in the first couple of matches against England, the right-handed batter was dropped from the playing XI and eventually lost the BCCI central contract after failing to play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal last season.

Now, the Duleep Trophy 2024 will be keenly followed by the national selectors, as they are set to pick the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, and Iyer’s other failure has certainly put him under pressure and out of the radar for his Test comeback.