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In a development that certainly turned heads, the Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer was confirmed to be part of the Mumbai Ranji Trophy side for the team's upcoming fixture against Andhra Pradesh. With this news, many perceived that Iyer wasn't part of Team India's T20I plans, especially the upcoming T20 World Cup.
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Though no clarification has been made on that issue, a media report throws light on why Iyer has returned to the Mumbai side in the Ranji Trophy. As per the Indian Express, Iyer was given an option by the BCCI’s selection committee to be part of the India A series against England Lions in Ahmedabad.
Instead, Iyer opted to play in the Ranji Trophy and get ready for the five-match Test series against England and confirmed his availability to the Mumbai Cricket Association on Tuesday morning. The right-handed batter didn't have a successful South Africa tour and scored only 41 runs in four innings with a highest score of 31.
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Similarly, Iyer's previous Test outing in India was against Australia in last year's Border-Gavaskar Trophy where he had another lean patch. India's ODI number four only managed to score 42 runs before suffering a back injury that kept him out of the IPL and preceding tours until the Asia Cup in September. Hence this game-time in the Ranji Trophy could help Shreyas Iyer to score some runs and gain confidence against the England series.
Mumbai Squad for Ranji Trophy fixture against Andhra Pradesh:
Ajinkya Rahane (C), Shreyas Iyer, Jay Bista, Bhupen Lalwani, Amogh Bhatkal, Suved Parkar, Prasad Pawar (WK), Hardik Tamore (WK), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Atharva Ankolekar, Mohit Awasthi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Royston Dias, Sylvester Dsouza
