Ranji Trophy: Shreyas Iyer lights up drab day

Trust Shreyas Iyer to light up the day when a match is heading towards a drab draw. The Mumbai batsman showed his aggressive streak once again on Friday with an entertaining hundred as the Group C match between 41-time Ranji Trophy champs and Tamil Nadu ended in a draw at the MCA Academy here on Friday.

The Abhinav Mukund-led Tamil Nadu walked away with three points while Mumbai had to be content with one.

Apart from the fiery knock by Iyer (138, 124b, 205m, 11x4s, 9x6s) opener Akhil Herwadkar (132, 244b, 14x4s, 3x6s) returned to form with his seventh first class century. The track remained flat till the fourth and final day as Mumbai declared at 371 for the loss of five wickets, before the umpires called off the game.

However, it was Iyer's innings that was most talked about while TN star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin returned with unimpressive figures of 26-5-110-0.

Resuming at his overnight score of 56 not out, Iyer was dominating in his approach. The wicket too helped his cause as he went after the TN attack whenever he found the ball in his zone.

Iyer's contest with Ashwin was the most interesting one. The offie tried to lock him and tested the patience with pace variations and hardly let Iyer free his hands.

An undeterred Iyer remained patient defending or kicking away negative balls bowled at the leg-stump. But, whenever one was pitched up, he tonked Ashwin over wide long on that ended on the streets.

Before that Iyer cut-slashed a short ball that flew fast to the third man boundary.

Iyer did not spare left-arm spinner Rahil Shah as he hit him two sixes and a four in an over before he spread the field.

A while later, Iyer completed his 11th century in first class cricket with two successive big hits — a six and four – to seamer Yo Mahesh.

He eventually got out while going for a second run and ended up being short of crease, thanks to an accurate throw from K Vignesh.

Iyer completes his run-a-ball hundred with a six and a four off successive Yomahesh deliveries.

Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund said he could have done little with the way Iyer was attacking

"There was no possibility of attack, the way Shreyas Iyer was going and also there was not much assistance for pacers as there was no swing and pace on the wicket. Akhil, too, was quite prudent in strokemaking. There was value for runs in this outfield and there was not much I could do," Mukund said.

Asked what he could have done after Iyer hit Ashwin for a big shot, Mukund said: "What could have I done? He hit it to the road. The only choice I had was four fielders in the deep, he was still going for it."