Jaipur, Jan 6 (IANS) India’s middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer marked a strong return from injury with a fluent 53-ball 82 for Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh at the Jaipuria Vidhyalaya Ground here in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Captaining the side in an important match after Shardul Thakur was ruled out of the remainder of the competition due to injury, Iyer came to the crease at a challenging moment, with Mumbai reduced to 55 for 2 following the dismissals of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan.

Shreyas and Musheer Khan then added 82 runs off 54 balls to keep the scoreboard moving. After Musheer fell for a 51-ball 73, Shreyas forged a 65-run partnership off 39 balls with Suryakumar Yadav, which helped Mumbai cross the 200-run mark in the 33-over match. The game was shortened due to a delayed start caused by dense fog.

Iyer fell in the 26th over, missing a well-deserved hundred by just 18 runs. He struck 10 fours and three sixes against Himachal Pradesh’s bowling attack. With the skipper’s fighting knock, Mumbai finished at 299/9 in 33 overs.

Iyer was named vice-captain of the India squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting in Vadodara on January 11. His inclusion in the series, however, is subject to a fitness clearance following his appearances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai.

If Iyer clears his fitness tests, the Mumbai Cricket Association will have to appoint a new captain for the Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout matches, which begin on January 12 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Grounds in Bengaluru. Iyer has been sidelined due to a serious spleen injury sustained while taking a diving catch to dismiss Australia wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey during the third ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground in October last year.

–IANS

ss/