Shreyas Iyer, who has been out of the Indian national team recently, ended a three-year wait for a First-Class century during Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy second-round match against Maharashtra on Saturday. Coming in at number five after the dismissal of captain Ajinkya Rahane, Iyer, along with young opener Ayush Mhatre, helped Mumbai surpass Maharashtra’s first-innings total. The duo put together an impressive 200-run partnership on Day 2, pushing Mumbai beyond 300 runs.
While Mhatre was dismissed for 176, Iyer continued his innings and reached his century in 131 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes. This ton broke a long dry spell for Iyer, who had not scored a First-Class century since November 2021, when he reached the milestone against New Zealand in Kanpur while representing India. During this innings, Iyer also surpassed 6,000 First-Class runs.
The 29-year-old has had a challenging domestic season. In the Duleep Trophy, he accumulated just 154 runs across six innings, managing only two fifties and recording two ducks. His struggles continued in the Irani Cup, where he scored 57 and 8 in two innings for Mumbai, followed by a duck in the opening Ranji Trophy round against Baroda last week.
Earlier in 2024, Iyer, along with wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan, was left out of the BCCI Central Contracts list. This decision came after they were reported to have missed domestic matches, though Iyer cited back and groin pain as reasons for his absence. However, a fitness assessment by the BCCI medical team, led by Nitin Patel from the National Cricket Academy, found no issues with his health.
Iyer was a key player for India across formats last year, particularly shining in the World Cup, where he scored 468 runs, including two centuries and three half-centuries. Despite his struggles in Test cricket, he was given extended opportunities before being dropped midway through the ongoing series against England.