Indian pacer sends strong reply after snub, picks 4 wickets in Ranji Trophy; Iyer sent packing for duck, Ishan fails too
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India’s out-of-favour batting duo, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, endured a tough day in the ongoing Ranji Trophy that did no good to their hopes for a swift return to Test cricket. Both batters failed to make an impact, with Iyer recording a duck while Ishan managed a modest 21 runs before being dismissed. Their performances came under the spotlight as fans hoped for a turnaround in their domestic form.
Shreyas Iyer, a stalwart for Mumbai, continued his poor run in red-ball cricket. After Baroda posted a respectable 290 in their first innings, Mumbai's reply began on a shaky note with the early dismissal of Prithvi Shaw. The opener, who had shown promise in the Irani Trophy with a breezy fifty, was clean-bowled by Baroda captain Krunal Pandya for a mere seven runs.
Despite a steadying second-wicket partnership between Hardik Tamore and Ayush Mhatre, Baroda clawed back into the game, courtesy of left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt. Bhatt’s triple strikes disrupted Mumbai's momentum, and Iyer became his third victim.
The experienced Mumbai batter was trapped by Bhatt for an eight-ball duck, adding to the team’s troubles and extending his inconsistent form in the domestic circuit. Iyer’s failure in this match is a setback as he eyes a potential Test comeback, having fallen out of favour in recent months.
Ishan Kishan, Jharkhand’s explosive keeper-batter, didn’t fare much better. Appointed captain for the season, Kishan failed to live up to the expectations in his first outing in the season, managing only 21 runs.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, Jharkhand's top-order performed reasonably well, with stellar knocks from Nazim Siddiqui, Aryaman Sen, Utkarsh Singh, and Kumar Suraj propelling the team to a strong position. However, Ishan’s failure to convert his start into a big score left Jharkhand’s innings in disarray.
Facing Assam’s disciplined bowling attack, the Jharkhand captain was dismissed by Mukhtar Hussain. As a result, Jharkhand was bowled out for 361 on a track where 450 seemed attainable. Assam reached 109/4 at stumps on Day 2.
Yash Dayal fares
Left-arm fast bowler Yash Dayal, who received his maiden call-up during the Test series against Bangladesh but was not included in the squad for the three matches against New Zealand, made a strong impression on Day 1 of Uttar Pradesh’s match against Bengal. Dayal claimed four wickets in Bengal's first innings.
One of his key wickets was that of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Bengal’s prolific batter, who had recently scored a century in the Irani Trophy against Mumbai. Dayal dismissed Easwaran for just 9 runs. He finished with outstanding figures of 4/27 from 14.2 overs, playing a crucial role in Uttar Pradesh's bowling attack.
