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Shreyas Iyer fails to shine in sunglasses, falls on duck in Duleep Trophy
Shreyas Iyer made his way into the Duleep Trophy with hopes of tracking his way back into the Indian team setup. However, three innings into the domestic tournament, selection for the Indian team appears to be a far cry for the batter. While selection seems like a distant dream for Iyer, he has become the target of netizens following his latest outing in the Duleep Trophy. With the second round of matches currently underway, India D, under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, is facing India A at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur. Batting in response to the 290 runs posted by India A, Iyer registered a duck. However, what caught the eyes of netizens were the sunglasses the India D skipper sported while batting.
Shreyas Iyers comes out to bat with sunglasses, gets out on duck in the second Duleep trophy match
Leading India D in the Duleep Trophy, Iyer scored a half-century in the first match. However, his team lost to the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led India C by 4 wickets. Coming into Anantapur, Iyer chose to bowl first after winning the toss against India A. The decision seemed wise as his bowlers limited the Mayank Agarwal-led side to a score of 290 in the first innings. Fast bowler Harshit Rana led the attack for India D, scalping 4 wickets for 51. Arshdeep Singh and Vidhwath Kaverappa wrapped up the innings by taking 2 wickets each. However, when India D got their turn to bat, their performance appeared even more subpar than India A’s on the opening day.
India D lost their top 4 batters at a mere total of 55, with Iyer registering a 7-ball duck. As opener Atharv Taide departed at a score of 4, Shreyas Iyer made his way to the crease, wearing sunglasses. While fielders are often required to wear sunglasses in day matches to avoid hindrance in their catching and fielding attempts, a batter sporting sunglasses under a helmet is a rare sight in cricket, if not entirely unheard of. Thus, the skipper drew all attention to himself as he came out to stabilize the innings for his team. However, the right-hander failed to make an impact, falling to a full-length delivery from Khaleel Ahmed. Iyer was caught at mid-on by Aaqib Khan for a duck.
Shreyas Iyer batting by wearing Sunglasses 😎 pic.twitter.com/G8p9eBN1aQ
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 13, 2024
With the audience eagerly awaiting the India vs Bangladesh series to commence, the Duleep Trophy has garnered considerable viewership. Thus, when Iyer lost his wicket for a duck, he quickly made headlines. In the first match, Iyer had registered a 9-run stand in the first innings before redeeming himself with a half-century in the second innings. However, a record of 9(16), 54(44), and 0(7) doesn’t reflect well on a player of Iyer’s caliber. Moreover, with the internet critics ready to target players online, Iyer swiftly landed on their radar after another disappointing knock. Additionally, Iyer’s appearance, clad in sunglasses while producing a lackluster batting performance, became a highlight on social media platforms.
— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) September 13, 2024
Earlier this year, Shreyas Iyer fell out of favor with the BCCI for his failure to adhere to the board's orders of participating in domestic tournaments. Iyer, along with Ishan Kishan, was stripped of his central contract with the board. Upon his return to the Duleep Trophy, Iyer was expected to break into the India squad for the home series against Bangladesh. However, the batter missed out, which seems like a well-considered decision by the selectors. The 29-year-old, who played an integral role in India’s T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year, hasn’t produced a promising red-ball knock in recent times.
As for the second match of India D in the Duleep Trophy, Iyer’s team was bundled out for 183 in response to the 290 scored by India A. Devdutt Padikkal delivered the only impressive knock of the innings, acting as the saving grace for India D. Padikkal scored 92, while the others collectively managed 90, with 3 runs coming from extras. Khaleel Ahmed and Aaqib Khan took 3 wickets each to keep India A in the lead on Day 2. With the second day currently underway, India A has returned to bat in Anantapur. Captain Mayank Agarwal and his opening partner Pratham Singh are swiftly approaching their half-centuries, as India A has posted 90 on the scoreboard with no wickets lost so far in the second innings.
