"I am absolutely keen for a comeback" - Shreyas Iyer wishes for Test return after sublime ton against Maharashtra in Ranji Trophy

Shreyas Iyer has had a roller-coaster couple of months, where he found himself out of the central contract list, and out of the Test squad. The right-handed batter had an erratic Duleep Trophy campaign while leading India D and began his Ranji Trophy campaign with a duck against Baroda.

With Sarfaraz Khan scoring a sublime hundred in the ongoing first Test against New Zealand, the race for the middle-order spots heats up ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Iyer needed to make a massive statement to be relevant in the eyes of the selectors. He managed to do that by playing a brilliant 142 run-knock off 190 deliveries to help Mumbai amass 441 in the first innings against Maharashtra.

The stylish batter expressed his eagerness to return to the Test squad. His last Test appearance was during the home series against England earlier this year. After a bleak set of scores, he was dropped midway through the five-match affair and has been striving for a return since then.

"I am absolutely keen for a comeback, but yeah, as we say, control the controllables and as always to keep performing and keep participating as much as possible and also see to it that my body is in the best shape. So I will take the best decision possible according to that," Iyer told media at the end of the day's play via The Hindu.

Iyer needs to be careful about his spot in the ODI squad as well following a poor series against Sri Lanka. He recorded only 38 runs in three innings as India lost 0-2.

"Getting a century after a very long time, it’s a great feeling overall" - Shreyas Iyer

Iyer's ton in the ongoing clash against Maharashtra marks his first red-ball hundred in almost three years. He last crossed the three-figure mark on his Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur in 2021.

The batter had come close to recording a ton on three occasions in 2022, during the home series against Sri Lanka and the tour of Bangladesh, but failed to reach the three-figure mark.

"Coming back after a very long time, obviously I was feeling a bit down with my injuries, but now getting a century after a very long time, it’s a great feeling overall. You win three championships (Ranji Trophy, IPL and Irani Cup) in a year and what else can you ask for? All I see is the positive things over here and that is winning the trophy and that’s what I want,” Shreyas Iyer added in the same interaction.

Maharashtra ended the day on 142-1, with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad unbeaten on 80 runs off 72 deliveries. Mumbai still holds a lead of 173 runs ahead of Day 3.