At the Dubai International Stadium, India is now playing New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 last group stage match. Shreyas Iyer accepted the responsibility of rescuing India after the Kiwis put the Men in Blue under duress with three early wickets. He did it by stitching a solid half-century. After missing a few domestic matches and allegedly attending the KKR pre-season camp instead, the ace batter controversially lost his BCCI central contract at the beginning of the 2023–24 season. Iyer might not have been without a central contract for very long, though.
Any player who is not on the list can still earn a central contract if they play three Test matches, eight ODIs, or 10 T20 Internationals until September 30, 2024, according to the BCCI's official statement when they announced the central contract list for the 2023–24 season.
Iyer has participated in nine ODIs since being left off the Central Contract List, even though the deadline has already passed. He participated in three ODIs against England in 2024, three ODIs against Sri Lanka in 2024, and three Champions Trophy 2025 matches currently. In fact, if India advances to the competition final, Iyer would have the opportunity to play two more games. He has thus presented a compelling argument for a central contract for the 2024–25 campaign.
Shreyas Iyer rescues India after early collapse
As for the IND vs NZ match, with just 30 runs scored, the Kiwis took the three early wickets of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill in the match against New Zealand. Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer then came back together to stitch 98 runs for the fourth wicket. He then got out after a brief 44-run partnership with KL Rahul for the fifth wicket.
In an innings that featured four fours and two sixes, Shreyas Iyer hammered 79 off 98 balls. Even though it was the slowest half-century of his ODI career, India needed someone to help them secure their innings at a critical moment.
