Shreyas Iyer’s long road back to competitive cricket could not have had a more convincing start. On a fog-delayed morning in Jaipur, the Mumbai captain announced his return with a blistering 82 off 53 balls against Himachal Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), all but sealing his place in India’s ODI setup ahead of the New Zealand series starting January 11.
After months of rehab following a spleen injury sustained on the Australia tour, this was Iyer’s second Return to Play match simulation. He needed to play this game in order to remove that asterisk on his name! And he passed it with a roar.
Shreyas Iyer’s blazing comeback before IND vs NZ ODIs
Mumbai’s innings was wobbling early. Both Yashasvi Jaiswal (15) and Sarfaraz Khan (21) fell cheaply, leaving the middle order exposed. Iyer, the captain, walked in with responsibility written all over the moment and promptly tore the game apart. He reached his fifty in just 36 balls despite getting a reprieve early on. The batting was a bit difficult in the conditions but Iyer delivered a counterattack.
He struck 10 fours and 3 sixes, operating at a strike rate of 154.72, with over 70 percent of his runs coming in boundaries. He brought up Mumbai’s momentum at exactly the right time, helping them surge to 202 for 4 in 23.3 overs, and even after he got caught at mid-wicket by Amanpreet off Kushal Pal, Mumbai had already reached a commanding 238 for 5 by the 28th over. A hundred was there for the taking and Iyer would be definitely kicking himself.
Iyer captained Mumbai in the absence of Shardul Thakur, led from the front, and delivered the one thing selectors were waiting to see. A fully fit Shreyas Iyer dominating a 50-over contest again.
Suryakumar Yadav continues to fail
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube also played their first VHT matches of the season, as the BCCI has made it mandatory for all players to participate. Suryakumar, who will lead India at the upcoming five T20Is against New Zealand and at the T20 World Cup 2026, need to regain his form back. But he hasn’t so far.
Suryakumar finished 2025 with 218 runs from 19 T20I innings, averaging 13.62 with a strike rate of 123.16, without a single half-century. His struggles have been particularly big against pace, against whom he has been dismissed 18 out of 19 times this year.
Now, Suryakumar has started 2026 with another ordinary score. He hammered two sixes in his 18-ball stay but failed to go big. Shivam Dube also struggled as he made just 20 off 15.
