Shreyas Iyer back in action with fifty vs Himachal in Vijay Hazare Trophy
Iyer, with his half-century, has taken one step closer towards his international return, with the ODI series against New Zealand later this month
India’s ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer marked a successful return to competitive cricket with a brilliant half-century against Himachal Pradesh in a Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025–26 fixture for Mumbai in Jaipur.
Iyer, who has been on the sidelines since last October after suffering an injury during an ODI match against Australia, scored 82 runs off just 53 balls with the help of 10 fours and three sixes while batting at the No. 4 spot for Mumbai in the rain-curtailed match.
Iyer, with his half-century, has taken one step closer towards his international return, with the ODI series against New Zealand later this month.
Final call after post-match assessment
While the Indian vice-captain has proved that he is match-fit with his half-century in the VHT match, he will still have to go through a post-match assessment by the BCCI’s medical team, who will judge how his body is able to manage post-match exhaustion and his recovery time before finally giving him the green light to participate in the New Zealand ODI series.
Notably, Iyer has been added to India’s 15-member squad against New Zealand, but his final participation is termed as subject to fitness.
Iyer helps Mumbai to strong total
While Iyer’s fifty was important for his fitness assessment, it was equally crucial for the Mumbai side, who are looking to secure a quarter-final spot with a win against Himachal Pradesh today.
The match was delayed due to rain and was reduced to 33 overs a side. Mumbai lost the first wicket in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal (15) before Sarfaraz Khan (21) was dismissed by Kushal Pal, as Mumbai were struggling at 55 for 2.
Shreyas Iyer (82) and Musheer Khan (73) then added 82 runs for the third wicket to set the platform for Mumbai to score big. Suryakumar Yadav (24), Shivam Dube (20) and Sairaj Patil (25) then played handy cameos as Mumbai finally finished their innings at 299 for 9 at the end of 33 overs.