Despite being one of India’s top performers in the ODI World Cup 2023, Shreyas Iyer faced a setback when the BCCI excluded him from the central contract list. Despite his efforts during the South Africa series, where he failed to impress, this led to his exclusion. However, he was still called up for the first two Test matches against England.
In preparation for the series, Iyer opted to play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy but struggled in the initial games. Despite the BCCI advising him to continue playing domestic cricket, he opted to skip the Ranji Trophy semi-final citing back spasms, a claim later refuted by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). This choice resulted in his exclusion from the contract.
Following this setback, Iyer went on to win the Ranji Trophy with Mumbai and later captained the Kolkata Knight Riders to victory in the IPL. He addressed the situation, highlighting a lack of communication and decisions made without consulting him. Despite the challenges, he remained focused on his performance and aimed to let his success on the field speak for itself.
“I had a terrific World Cup and I wanted to take a break after that and wanted to work on my body and build some strength around certain areas. Due to lack of communication, there were some decisions that didn’t go in my favor,” Iyer shared on his YouTube channel.
While currently not in the Indian team’s plans, Iyer remains hopeful that consistent performances will pave the way for his return to international cricket.
