Shreyas Iyer strengthens chances for CT squad; Kishan, Gaikwad present case with centuries in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad knocked on the doors of the BCCI selection committee with brilliant centuries in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. Kishan, who has been out of the Indian team since the start of the year, smashed a blistering century against Manipur. The left-handed batter was part of India's ODI World Cup squad last year and asked for a break during the South Africa tour. He was later asked by the BCCI to take part in the Ranji Trophy matches, which he refused and later lost his central contract. Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad present cases for CT squad with centuries in Vijay Hazare Trophy; Shreyas Iyer also shines(PTI and X Images)

The wicketkeeper batter is trying hard to get back into contention to return to the Indian set-up and has been taking part in domestic competitions. In the VHT match against Manipur, captain Kishan scored 134 runs off 78 balls to help Jharkhand register a sensational 9-wicket win. The wicketkeeper batter hit 16 fours and 6 sixes during his match-winning knock.

Gaikwad also presented his case for the Champions Trophy and scored 148 runs* off 74 balls against Services. Gaikwad led his team from the front and helped Maharashtra register a one-sided 9-wicket win. His knock was embellished with 16 fours and 11 sixes as he continues to show consistency with the bat in white-ball cricket.

Shreyas Iyer strengthens his case

In another match, Shreyas Iyer once again displayed his aggressive side with the bat and slammed 44 runs off just 20 balls in Mumbai's 3-wicket win over Hyderabad. Iyer has been enjoying the purple patch in domestic cricket and is expected to make a return to the Indian team for the ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy at number 4 spot, where he succeeded during the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, in the same match, Suryakumar Yadav had a forgettable outing as he was dismissed for just 18.

Madhya Pradesh skipper Rajat Patidar had a flop outing in the low-scoring chase against Delhi. The right-handed batter scored just two as MP lost the match by 79 runs while chasing a 212-run target. The loss depicted the MP's over-dependency over Patidar in the batting line-up. Meanwhile, Navdeep Saini ran riot with the ball for Delhi and claimed a four-fer to bundle out MP for just 132.

Meanwhile, Krunal Pandya also scored a match-winning 80 runs* off 54 balls which was laced with 7 fours and 3 sixes. He led Baroda to a memorable 62-run win over Kerala. Batting first, Baroda posted a mammoth 403/4 courtesy of a 136-run knock from Ninad Rathva and an unbeaten 80 from Pandya.

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