Ranji Trophy: Shreyas Iyer scores first class hundred after 3 years for Mumbai

Shreyas Iyer ended his century drought in first class cricket as he notched up a brilliant hundred in the Ranji Trophy match between Mumbai and Maharashtra.

In Short

• Shreyas Iyer scored his 14th first class hundred
• He also completed 6000 runs in first class cricket
• Iyer has not been part of India's Test squad since 2nd Test vs England

India batter Shreyas Iyer, who has been out of favour in Tests, scored his first First-Class century in three years during Mumbai’s second-round Ranji Trophy clash against Maharashtra on Saturday. Iyer came in to bat at number five after Mumbai lost their captain Ajinkya Rahane early. Teaming up with young opener Ayush Mhatre, Iyer helped Mumbai surpass Maharashtra’s first-innings total, forging a crucial 200-run partnership with Mhatre on Day 2. The partnership pushed Mumbai past the 300-run mark, setting a solid platform for the team.

While Mhatre was dismissed for a well-made 176, Iyer carried on to reach his hundred off 131 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes in the process. The innings marked the end of a prolonged century drought for the 29-year-old, who had been out of the Indian Test side since the home series against England earlier in 2024. His previous first-class hundred came for India against New Zealand in November 2021 during the Kanpur Test. During this knock, Iyer also crossed the milestone of 6,000 First-Class runs.

100 for Shreyas Iyer

Iyer makes a comeback

The century comes as a much-needed boost for Iyer, who has struggled with form since the start of the 2024-25 domestic season. In the Duleep Trophy, he managed just 154 runs across six innings, with two half-centuries and two ducks. In the Irani Cup, playing for Mumbai, Iyer’s performances remained underwhelming, scoring 57 and 8 across two innings. He also recorded another duck in Mumbai’s opening Ranji Trophy match last week against Baroda.

Iyer, along with wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan, was excluded from the BCCI Central Contracts list earlier in 2024. The exclusion came after both were deemed to have skipped domestic matches. Iyer cited back and groin pain as the reason for his absence from Ranji games.

Iyer’s hundred in the Ranji Trophy will prove to be a confidence booster as he looks to revive his domestic and international career.