Ranji Trophy final: Shreyas Iyer misses statement century as Mumbai take full control of title clash with Vidarbha

Standing at slip, Shreyas Iyer takes a mock guard between deliveries and shadow-bats. A block, a drive, a pull.

The rest walk towards the drinks during a break. But Iyer races towards the batting crease. He shadow-bats. Pull, punch, repeat.

Musheer Khan and Ajinkya Rahane are grinding it out. Iyer, the next batsman, is in the dugout. Shadow-batting, bouncing the ball on his bat, checking his defence.

When he finally gets a chance, Iyer doesn’t walk in to bat. He sprints to the middle. He bats like a man in a tearing hurry. It doesn’t go with the innings’ flow; Musheer Khan bats 474 minutes for his 136 runs (326 balls).

Iyer’s break-neck innings is among the more assured ones he’s played in a while. But when he is on 95, seemingly destined for a statement century, Iyer does the peak Iyer thing: going for a needless glory shot, mishitting it and getting caught at long off.

One wonders what India captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, watching from the stands right behind Iyer, make of it.

Shreyas Iyer brings up his 5⃣0⃣👏

It’s been a solid knock so far from him 👌#RanjiTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank | #Final | #MUMvVID

Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/k7JhkLhOID pic.twitter.com/M6CdulcdnG

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 12, 2024

Roger Federer once talked about the importance of grabbing the chances that come an athlete’s way. “Because there aren’t many,” the tennis legend had forewarned. Since he was dropped – first from India’s Test squad and then from BCCI’s annual contract list – Iyer has got three chances in the two Ranji Trophy matches he’s played.

In the first two, he failed. Against Tamil Nadu in the semifinals and the first innings of the final against Vidarbha. There couldn’t have been a better platform for him to give a fitting reply to the selection snub.

The wicket appeared flatter than the just-opened Coastal Road. Mumbai’s lead was so healthy that Vidarbha already seemed to have given up. And the bowling attack looked like having lost their will after being run ragged by Khan, who broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record to become the youngest Mumbai batsman to score a century in the Ranji final, and Ajinkya Rahane (73 off 143 balls in 221 minutes).

Together, the two batted for nearly 50 overs and by the time Rahane was caught behind off Harsh Dubey, Vidarbha had barely any energy left to even celebrate.

There wasn’t a lot for them to rejoice, either. By stumps on Day 3 of the Ranji final, the chances of Vidarbha winning their third title had all but gone with Mumbai virtually batting them out of the game. Needing 528 in the fourth innings to win, Vidarbha were 10/0.

Look who’s here!#TeamIndia Captain Rohit Sharma witnessing the #RanjiTrophy summit clash 👌🏻👌🏻@ImRo45 | #RanjiTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank | #Final | #MUMvVID

Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/k7JhkLhOID pic.twitter.com/CIP1KGkENF

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 12, 2024

At different stages, this looked to be a match which the Mumbai top order, struggling for most of the season, used to get back among runs. Bhupen Lalwani and Prithvi Shaw in the first innings. Rahane in the second. It was natural that the focus shifted to Iyer once the Mumbai captain was dismissed.

In the spotlight

In his previous two innings, Iyer looked edgy and unsure; his footwork was all over the place. The man who was so self-assured and confident, to the point of being taken as cocky, was now battling his doubts, insecurities even.

It must be difficult to be in Iyer’s shoes. One moment, you are one of the pillars of India’s transitioning batting line-up. The next, you are a discard not just from the Test and white-ball teams but also from the list of 30 cricketers who are on the cricket board’s hefty retainer.

Although he’s not spoken since or shown any emotions, Iyer has come across as a man with a lot going on in his head during the semifinal and final after the sudden change in fortunes.

It’s reflected in the way he has batted as well. On Tuesday, Iyer started his innings like he did the previous two – caught on the crease and getting beaten. But unlike those occasions, he didn’t let the ripper from Harsh Dubey affect him.

Mumbai: Mumbai’s Shreyas Iyer plays a shot during the third day of the Ranji Trophy final match between Mumbai and Vidarbha, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (PTI Photo/Shashank Parade)

After restraining himself for a dozen balls, Iyer lofted medium pacer Aditya Thakare over mid-off for a six. It was an authoritative shot, and runs began to flow from his bat. Almost immediately, Vidarbha’s response was to resort to short-pitched bowling, as if they were trying to goad him into playing a rash shot or mock his perceived weakness.

But in doing so, they underestimated the workout their bowlers had already gone through. The short balls lacked sting and Iyer dealt with most of them with authority. The pull, a shot he shadow-practised many times while fielding, was his most productive, in fact.

For a moment, it felt like Iyer would beat Khan to a century. But the teenager showed moderation and patience that his senior partner cast aside.

• Has 4-1 hammering in India changed the cult of Bazball? ‘It’s not a binary choice between fun or winning’
• Ranji Trophy final: Rohit Sharma spends 20 minutes with Mumbai players, Sachin Tendulkar also in attendance at Wankhede
• Mohammed Shami set to miss T20 World Cup: 'His return likely in home series against Bangladesh,' says Jay Shah

With only five runs needed for the ton, Iyer did something he hadn’t done the whole innings, playing a reckless shot. Thakare set him up by pitching the ball just outside off. Early in his innings, Iyer didn’t fall into the trap. This time, he played and missed the first ball, edged the second which fell just short of the slip fielder. It didn’t stop him from going for it a third time – the same lofted shot he played at the start of the innings. But this time, he couldn’t connect well and was caught by Aman Mokhade at long-off.

Iyer trudged back to the dressing room, his shoulders hunched and head bowed. It was the sight of a man desperate to catch a break.

Brief scores: Mumbai 224 and 418 (Musheer Khan 136, Shreyas Iyer 95, Ajinkya Rahane 73; Harsh Dubey 5/144) lead Vidarbha 105 & 10/0. Vidarbha need 528 more runs to win

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.