“Shreyas Iyer showed keen interest in playing for Mumbai in the Buchi Babu Tournament” – MCA’s Sanjay Patil

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) chief elector Sanjay Patil has stated that Shreyas Iyer expressed his interest in playing at the upcoming Buchi Babu tournament. Patil said playing at least one game will provide a positive message to other state teams that Test players are participating in a domestic tournament.

Iyer will look to exploit the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh in September. Other cricketers like Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai) and Ishan Kishan (Jharkhand) will also participate in the Buchi Babu tournament.

On Tuesday (August 13), Sanjay Patil told mid-day:

“Shreyas Iyer showed keen interest in playing for Mumbai in the Buchi Babu tournament. He is eager to play red-ball cricket. Though Shreyas and Surya will be playing only one match, it will be a strong message to other state teams that Test players are also keen to play for Mumbai.”

Notably, Iyer is one of the regular players from India’s Test side to play first-class cricket. He played multiple games for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy last season, including the final where his side beat Vidarbha. He will be in action against Jammu & Kashmir in the Buchi Babu tournament, beginning August 27.

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Shreyas Iyer in and out of Tests since 2018

Shreyas Iyer has been in and out of Tests due to injuries since the 2018 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (back injury).

Earlier this year, Iyer was ruled from India's squad for the last three Tests of the five-match series against England due to a sore knee. He also failed to deliver with the bat, scoring 35, 13, 27, and 29 in his four innings. The right-handed batter has amassed 811 runs in 14 Tests (24 innings) at an average of 36.86 with the help of one century and five 50s.

Iyer was last seen in action against Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series. The middle-order batter looked clueless against spin, scoring 23, 7, and 8 in his three outings. He has already been ousted from T20Is.

Thus, Iyer will look to establish himself once again in the longer format under the mentorship of head coach Gautam Gambhir. The duo recently worked together with reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

With no ODIs this year, Iyer will look to make the most of the upcoming Test season. Team India will play 10 Tests from September 2024 to January 2025.