Shreyas Iyer recorded his third consecutive low score of the season in the first innings of the India A vs Australia A unofficial Test in Lucknow on Thursday (September 18).
Batting first, Australia A put up a mammoth 532-6 across the first two rain-affected days. Sam Konstas (109 off 144) and Josh Philippe (123 off 87) scored tons for the visitors while Harsh Dubey (3-141) was India A's most successful bowler.
The hosts started well with the bat, adding 88 for the first wicket, 49 for the second, and 76 for the third. Sai Sudharsan's wicket on the third day brought captain Shreyas Iyer to the crease at No.5. Iyer's stay at the crease, however, lasted only 13 balls as he was trapped lbw by off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli for eight.
Dhruv Jurel replaced Iyer at No.6 and stitched a century partnership with Devdutt Padikkal. Both players scored half-centuries, with Jurel going on to the three-figure mark by the end of the day.
Also read: IND A vs AUS A, Day 3 live updates: Jurel hits brisk fifty after Iyer falls cheaply
1st unofficial Test, India A vs Australia A
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Shreyas Iyer's indifferent form continues
This was Iyer's third low score of the season. He played for West Zone in the semi-final of the Duleep Trophy against Central Zone and made scores of 25 and 12 in the first and second innings respectively. In fact, Iyer's last fifty-plus score in first-class cricket came seven innings ago, when he struck his maiden Ranji Trophy double hundred (233) against Odisha last season.
Also read: Why the Australia A series is the perfect chance for Shreyas Iyer to turn his red-ball career around
Iyer last played Test cricket in early 2024 against England. With India going through a transition following the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin, and a home season coming up with assignments against West Indies and South Africa, Iyer would be hoping to make a strong case for a comeback to the Test side. His start to the season, however, hasn't helped his cause.
Shreyas Iyer's first-class record
| Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | Avg | SR | HS | 100s | 50s |
| Test cricket | 14 | 24 | 811 | 36.86 | 63.01 | 105 | 1 | 5 |
| First-class overall | 83 | 140 | 6408 | 45.77 | 78.85 | 233 | 15 | 33 |
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