'Doesn't Have Hunger For Red-Ball Cricket': Basit Ali Makes Blunt Remark On This India Batter Ahead Of IND Vs BAN Tests

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali made a huge remark on India’s batter Shreyas Iyer. Basil Ali feels that Iyer does not have that inclination to do well in red ball format anymore. The Mumbai-based batter got out for a seven-ball duck in the second round of the Duleep Trophy 2024 batting for India D.

In one of the rare visuals that transpired on the field, Iyer came out to bat donning sunglasses but then he could not manage to create the impact, getting out by Khaleel Ahmed after hitting the ball straight into the hands of Aaqib Khan at mid-on. Post his wicket, Basit Ali dissected Iyer’s concentration and stated that he should’ve used the opportunity to score 100-200 runs.

“As a cricketer, it saddens me to see him. If you are getting out in front, your concentration isn't in the game. And especially the red-ball game. He has scored two centuries in the World Cup, he's an IPL-winning captain, he should've scored 100-200 runs here. Iyer is so lucky that Rahane and Pujara aren't playing in the Duleep Trophy,” said Basit on his YouTube channel.

“Iyer doesn't have the hunger for red-ball cricket anymore. He's only hungry for boundaries. You should prioritise it. If he's thinking he is similar to Virat Kohli after hitting two centuries in the World Cup, no, it doesn't happen that way. I'm sorry to Indians who like him, but if I was India's selector, Iyer wouldn't have been in the Duleep Trophy at all. He's not respecting the game,” he added.

Shreyas Iyer has been going through a rough patch for some time now as he failed to seal his spot in the Indian Test team after a chain of low scores. In the last 13 innings, the Mumbai-based batter has not even scored a fifty.