Atreyo Mukhopadhyay
Domestic cricket has suddenly become a buzzword of sorts. Usually, just a handful keeps track of what plays out over there. Only those who bat, bowl, field, officiate, take care of logistics and report on those are aware of these proceedings. But, with the BCCI and the Indian team management emphasising the sacro-sanctity of these fixtures of late, perceptions have changed to an extent.
These games are played aeons from the spotlight. Even if an India star makes a stray appearance, the crowd by and large stays away from the action. Hardly anybody knows that a match about the future of Indian cricket is taking place. Ranji Trophy? A few know what it is. Competitions named after Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare? What are those?
When the BCCI took a stern stand on this and made it compulsory for players to participate in these games, irrespective of an individual’s stature vis-à-vis the national team, Shreyas Iyer was the foremost casualty. He had represented India in all three formats and made a century on Test debut. Still, he was put on alert and excluded from the list of players on annual contracts.
Now, with the focus back on domestic cricket following the setbacks at home against New Zealand and away in Australia, Iyer is back where many think he belongs. The middle-order batter is not a part of the squad for the T20I series against England. But, chances are high that he will feature in the squads for the ODI series after that, as well as the Champions Trophy.
This is a perfect example of a player, who was handpicked for a lesson to be taught, and then made the most of the situation. Iyer, possibly, didn’t take the contract exclusion as a punishment and thought that here was his opportunity. He had bossed the domestic circuit in every format for years. Sent back there, he asserted his supremacy in no uncertain terms.
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This Mumbai batter likes to dominate the attack. In his early years in Ranji Trophy, he had caught attention by playing outstanding knocks on a green-top at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and a rank-turner at Chepauk in Chennai, in the same season. He knows how to master these conditions. This season, Iyer was again a standout performer, making heaps of runs in the four-day, one-day and T20 formats, after a sedate start in the season-opening Duleep Trophy.
Numbers do not always convey the true picture, but these are impressive figures. His average reads 62.20 in 10 Ranji innings and 49.28 in seven T20 outings. In the ongoing Vijay Hazare one-dayers, where Mumbai failed to make the knockouts, Iyer ended with an average of 325 from five innings. Being not out in four of those gives a superficial look to that statistic. Importantly, he made two centuries and hit 18 sixes in those.
Discomfort against short-pitched bowling of a good pace will remain a question when it comes to the future of this 30-year-old. He is still nowhere when it comes to the Test team. There can be, however, any doubt about his ability to handle spin. Iyer can conquer surfaces where the ball doesn’t bounce a lot and does turn a bit. He was a massive and understated force in India’s runners-up finish in the 50-over World Cup. Some of those innings defined matches.
What we are going to see now is Iyer, the second edition. Hailed as a prodigy who became the most sought-after buy in the Indian Premier League worth Rs 26.75 crore, the enforcer has not yet established himself as a frontline batter for the national team. This is his chance to do it. In the subcontinent, his technique, approach and improvisations can be destructive. He knows it inside out.
If he cracks it, Iyer will set a huge example for toiling it out in domestic cricket and making it back to the Indian team. Having tasted success in national colours, been the costliest IPL character and a title-winning captain and then sent back to the grind off the camera — this is not easy to handle. Iyer has come close to doing that. The next couple of months will shape his future in the Blue.
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