Shreyas Iyer did not have a good match with the bat during Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy clash against Jammu and Kashmir at Sharad-Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, in Mumbai. It was in the second innings that he got scores of 11 and 17 during the match. Criticising Iyer for his failings, Basit Ali, a former cricketer from Pakistan, slammed him for the way he got out during the first innings. The right-handed batter tried to hit a fuller delivery off pacer Yudhvir Singh over the fielder at wide mid-on but was caught. It looked worse since the shot came with Mumbai already six down. Ali pronounced that after having mid-on back, the India batter would have no other choice but to hit him, thus making it the easiest way to dismiss Iyer in the Champions Trophy in 2025.
“The worst shot in that innings (Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match) was of Shreyas Iyer. The team lost six wickets and the mid-on was pushed back, yet you went right there. The easiest way to stop Shreyas Iyer in the Champions Trophy is when you have mid-on back because he is going to try and hit it,” Ali said on his YouTube channel.
Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian conjured up a stunning fightback against Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. Mumbai was apparently down and out at 101 for 7 in its second innings, leading by a paltry 15 runs. However, a heroic partnership between Shardul and Tanush ensued, rescuing Mumbai from a precarious position.
They added an unbeaten partnership of 173 runs for the eighth wicket to reinstate Mumbai in the match. While Shardul scored his second First-Class hundred, Kotian showed grit scoring a fifty. At the end of play on Day 2, Shardul and Kotian remained unbeaten on scores of 113 and 58, respectively, taking Mumbai’s lead to 188.