After back trouble, Shreyas Iyer to take field for Mumbai on last day of Ranji Trophy final

Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer will take the field on the fifth and final day of the Ranji Trophy summit clash against Vidarbha on Thursday, after back trouble kept him out of action on the penultimate day in in Mumbai.

Having scored a quickfire 95 on the third day of the final at the Wankhede Stadium to bolster Mumbai’s claim for a 42nd title win, Iyer did not take the field for the entire duration of the fourth day’s play on Wednesday while his team was made to work hard by a defiant Vidarbha side.

Vidarbha showed grit and resilience to push the game into the fifth and final day, reaching 248 for five in an improbable chase of 538 runs to win.

A team source confirmed to PTI after stumps on day four that Iyer has recovered from the back-related trouble and will be available to take the field on the last day of this Ranji Trophy season.

Iyer, who had missed the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal between Mumbai and Baroda, had flopped with the bat in the only innings in the semifinal against Tamil Nadu but bounced back remarkably in the final.

Putting on 168 runs at a fair clip with Musheer Khan in Mumbai’s second innings, Iyer went the aggressive route to hammer 10 fours and three sixes in his 111-ball 95.

However, during his innings on Tuesday, Iyer received on-field treatment on his back on two instances, having spent a considerable time in the middle.

The 29-year-old has been in the spotlight ever since he was excluded from the Indian Test side for the last three matches of their recently-concluded five-Test series against England.