Team India batter Shreyas Iyer was dismissed cheaply while batting for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 fixture. Batting in the first innings against Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday, January 23, Shreyas managed to score just 11 runs off seven balls.

Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali criticized Iyer, slamming him for his failure in the Ranji Trophy fixture. The Mumbai batter smashed one four and a six, scoring at a strike rate of 157.14 before getting out.

Basit was not pleased with his approach, stating that he should not have played like how he bats in white-ball cricket.

“Iyer made 11 runs from 7 balls. It is a four-day game. Three batters were dismissed in front of you. Play white-ball cricket in that format itself. If red-ball cricket is happening play it like red-ball cricket. This is my simple advise. We will see what they do in the second innings,” he said while speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Basit Ali’. (10:16)

Mumbai had already lost six wickets for 42 runs before Shreyas Iyer was dismissed, which further reduced them to 47/7. Eventually, they were bowled out for just 120 runs.

Basit’s words imply that the senior batter should have batted with more responsibility, considering the situation of the game.

The focus was on several Indian stars, who have returned to the Ranji Trophy following their poor performances in international cricket. While batters such as Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Iyer among others were expected to score, all of them failed to make an impact.

“Rohit Sharma got out, Jaiswal got out, Gill got out, Iyer got out. It is four-day cricket. When so many players are playing, Iyer has to score a hundred, Rohit has to score a hundred, Jaiswal, Gill, even Pujara is playing, will everyone score?,” Basit opined. (0:9)

Big Indian stars fail to impress on return to Ranji Trophy apart from Shreyas Iyer

On the back of successive Test series defeats, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made it mandatory for Indian cricketers to play domestic cricket.

The likes of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shreyas Iyer are all a part of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25 round.

Along with Iyer, his other India teammates had a tough time as well. Rohit was dismissed for just three runs off 19 balls, while Jaiswal scored just four runs off eight deliveries.

Shubman Gill managed to score just four runs for Punjab while Rishabh Pant, playing for Delhi, was also sent back after scoring just one.

The India internationals, returning to domestic cricket, thus failed to make significant contributions. Ravindra Jadeja was the only player who had a successful outing, picking up a five-wicket haul for Saurashtra.