Shreyas Iyer leads from front while Jaiswal, Suryakumar fail to fire in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], January 6 (ANI): India batter Shreyas Iyer marked his return to competitive cricket with a commanding knock at the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring an authoritative 82 off 53 balls to guide Mumbai to a formidable 299/9 in a reduced game of 33 overs each against Himachal Pradesh in Jaipur.
After being asked to bat first, Mumbai suffered an early setback as Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for 15. However, Musheer Khan steadied the innings with a fluent knock of 73 off 51 balls, laced with eight boundaries and three sixes, keeping the scoreboard moving at a good pace.
Musheer's brother, Sarfaraz Khan played a quick cameo of 21 off just 10 deliveries before being dismissed. Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer then joined Musheer at the crease, and the duo stitched together a crucial 82-run partnership that put Mumbai firmly in control.
India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav also chipped in with 24 off 18 balls but was unable to convert his start into a bigger innings. Iyer, meanwhile, anchored the middle overs while maintaining an aggressive tempo. His 82-run knock featured ten boundaries and three sixes before he was dismissed by Kushal Pal, with Mumbai placed at 221/5 in 25.5 overs at that stage.
Shivam Dube scored 20 off 15 balls, and Sairaj Patil, who provided a valuable boost with 25 off just nine deliveries. Shams Mulani added 11 off five balls, while Hardik Tamore remained unbeaten on 19 to push Mumbai close to the 300-run mark.
For Himachal Pradesh, three bowlers claimed three wickets each. Kolkata Knight Riders seamer Vaibhav Arora returned figures of 3/63, while Abhishek Kumar picked up 3/62. Kushal Pal also had figures of 3/52.
Chasing a challenging target, Himachal Pradesh will need 300 runs in 33 overs to register a win against a strong Mumbai side. (ANI)