Shreyas Iyer will be representing Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semi-final, to be played from Saturday, against Tamil Nadu at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy.
Iyer was picked up in the place of Suryansh Shedge in the 16-member squad by the selection committee headed by former Indian pacer Raju Kulkarni.
Iyer, who will be representing Mumbai in the clash, had earlier cited fitness reasons to bow out of the quarter-final clash against Baroda, which took place from 23-27 February and resulted in a draw.
However, the head of medicine and sports sciences at the National Cricket Academy, Nitin Patel wrote to the Mumbai Cricket Association declaring Shreyas fit and ensured that no fresh injuries were incurred by him. In such a case, the reason for Shreyas' decision to opt out raised many brows.
Shreyas was excluded from India's squad for the ongoing India vs England Test series midway and was expected to play Ranji Trophy, as per the recent instructions issued by BCCI for the players to prioritize domestic cricket.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote a letter to various top players, warning them that the ignorance of domestic cricket can cause 'serious implications'. In his letter, Shah wrote, "Our vision for Indian cricket has been clear from the outset – every cricketer aspiring to play for India must prove themselves in domestic cricket. Performance in domestic cricket remains a critical yardstick for selection and non-participation in domestic cricket will carry severe implications.”
He further added, "There is a recent trend that has started to emerge and is a cause for concern. Some players have begun prioritizing the IPL over domestic cricket, a shift that was not anticipated. Domestic cricket has always been the foundation upon which Indian cricket stands, and it has never been undervalued in our vision for the sport.”
Mumbai's squad for Ranji Trophy Semi-final: Ajinkya Rahane (c.), Prithvi Shaw, Bhupen Lalwani, Musheer Khan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Tamore (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Mohit Avasthi, Amogh Bhatkar, Prasad Pawar (wk), Aditya Dhumal, Royston Dias, Dhawal Kulkarni.
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