India batter Shreyas Iyer made the headlines for wrong reasons both on and off the field over the past month. However, the KKR captain was finally seen in a vibrant mood celebrating and dancing as a dominant Mumbai defeated Vidarbha by 169 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday to claim a record 42nd Ranji Trophy title.
Iyer, along with Musheer Khan (136) and Ajinkya Rahane (73), played pivotal roles with the bat in Mumbai’s second innings, propelling the hosts to a formidable total of 418.
His dynamic knock of 95 runs off 111 balls on the third day set a challenging target of 538 runs for Vidarbha. Despite battling back pain and sitting out from fielding for two consecutive days, Iyer’s joy knew no bounds as he danced to the rhythm of the Nashik Dhol in a video circulating online after Mumbai’s triumph.
Check more latest stories on Shreyas Iyer:
Shreyas Iyer removed from BCCI Central Contract:
After being omitted from the Indian team following the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam in February, without any clarification, he was also removed from the BCCI central contracts.
Subsequently, Iyer abided by the BCCI’s directive on player involvement in the Ranji Trophy and joined Mumbai’s squad for the tournament. He featured in Mumbai’s playing XI in the final against Vidarbha this week.
Shreyas Iyer’s back issue resurfaces during the Ranji Trophy Final
However, concerns resurfaced regarding Iyer’s back issue, which could potentially rule him out of the initial matches for KKR with IPL 2024 starting from the 22nd of March. Despite being cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Iyer continued to experience discomfort during extended innings.
The latest reports suggest that he may miss the start of the season for the Kolkata Knight Riders due to recurring back problems. During his innings, Iyer had to pause twice for treatment from the Mumbai physiotherapist due to back spasms, as reported by the Times of India. KKR will start their season on the 23rd of March against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Eden Gardens.
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