After lean time in South Africa, Shreyas Iyer to prepare for England series in Mumbai’s Ranji tie against Andhra | Cricket News

ALL eyes will be on Shreyas Iyer as the middle-order batsman uses Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy game against Andhra at the MCA-BKC ground to get some valuable red-ball game time ahead of the five-match home Test series against England.With merely two weeks left for the first Test in Hyderabad, Iyer will hope to find the middle of the bat to go into the series with some runs under his belt.
The Mumbai stalwart has cemented his place in the Indian white-ball set-up and will look to do likewise in Tests as well. He is coming off a lean outing in South Africa, like many of his fellow Indian batsmen, but the team management has backed him to be the right candidate for a middle-order slot. Iyer, in the past, has shown he can handle crunch situations.
The 29-year-old though didn’t turn up for the pre-match practice session on Thursday and neither was he available for the team meeting later in the day, as he was yet to join the squad.

Iyer was given the option the BCCI’s selection committee to feature in the India A series against England Lions in Ahmedabad. Instead, Iyer has chosen to play in the Ranji Trophy to prepare for the upcoming Tests after managing
scores of 31, 6, 0 and 4 not out in South Africa.
His presence will be a boost for Mumbai, who will be missing the services of Sarfaraz Khan and all-rounder Shivam Dubey. Khan has been picked for the India A side to face England Lions while Dubey is in the national squad for the three-game T20I series against the visiting Afghanan team.
Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane said that having Iyer back in the camp will be a shot in the arm for his side, as they look for a win at home after starting their campaign beating Bihar in Patna.
“Shreyas is available for this game and that boosts everyone’s morale. Youngsters are trying to settle and cement their place in the team, so it’s a good sign. Guys who are coming into the team have done the hard work, they did well in club cricket. We just want to back them,” the veteran middle-order batsman said.
“I’m happy that guys are going ahead, Shivam has gone to play T20s (for India) and Sarfaraz has gone to play for India A. That gives an opportunity to other players to come in and do well and win the match for Mumbai.”
The 41-time Ranji Trophy champions didn’t qualify for the knockouts last season and would look to make amends. “Last season, we played good cricket but unfortunately didn’t qualify. We have learnt from last season and the areas we need to improve in. The four-day format is all about winning every session, one day at a time, and being in the moment. We are trying to keep it simple rather than trying different things because then things get messed up,” Rahane added.
Meanwhile, Andhra will look to put on a good show like they did in the last game against Bengal. They managed a first- innings lead at home and now will hope to stun Mumbai in their own backyard.
“Last year, we qualified for the quarterfinals, so we are a good red-ball team. This start was important because in this group Bengal and Mumbai are the big teams. We knew if we win both the games, we will have a great start and a good chance (to qualify) in the next five games. The first game gave us a lot of confidence and we hope to carry on in the same vein,” Andhra skipper Ricky Bhui stated.