Vijay Hazare Trophy: Shreyas Iyer, Siraj shine; Jaiswal struggles

Playing his first competitive match in months, Shreyas Iyer led from the front with an aggressive 82 in Mumbai’s fixture against Himachal Pradesh on January 6. Batting first in Jaipur, the India vice-captain’s knock, supported by Musheer Khan’s contribution, pushed Mumbai to a strong total of 299 for 9 in a shortened encounter.

After being out of action for more than two months, Shreyas Iyer is targeting a comeback to the national setup. The batter suffered a spleen injury during the third ODI in Sydney against Australia, which sidelined him for an extended period. Having undergone treatment abroad, he wrapped up the final stage of his recovery at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

After batting without issues in a practice game on January 2, the right-handed batter earned a spot in India’s ODI squad for the New Zealand series. However, his match involvement will be determined by medical clearance.

Shubman Gill struggles on Vijay Hazare Trophy return

Shubman Gill’s comeback to domestic cricket did not yield the desired result, as the Punjab batter fell cheaply in Jaipur. Playing against Goa at the KL Saini Stadium, he was dismissed for 11 off 12 balls in the second innings. The ODI skipper was unavailable for the previous match against Sikkim on January 3 due to illness.

Mohammed Siraj’s sharpens edge before New Zealand ODIs

Mohammed Siraj produced a timely statement ahead of the New Zealand ODIs, ripping through Bengal in a high-scoring List A clash. After Hyderabad piled on 352, powered by Aman Rao’s unbeaten 200, Siraj struck early with a hostile spell that dismantled the top order. He removed Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami during an opening burst of 5-0-32-3, before finishing with 4 for 58.

Jaiswal’s ODI prospects dim after quiet VHT returns

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s strong run in the 2025/26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, capped by a rapid hundred, was followed by an unexpected interruption as he was hospitalised with an intestinal ailment. After recovering, he returned to action with Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but has since struggled for fluency, posting scores of 46 against Goa, 3 versus Maharashtra and 15 against Himachal Pradesh. The modest returns have cast uncertainty over his prospects for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand. With Shubman Gill now fit again, Jaiswal appears set to miss out.