Shreyas Iyer, India’s middle-order batter, has been ruled out of the first Test against Australia, which is set to begin on February 9 in Nagpur. Iyer is also unlikely to be fit for the second Test because he hasn’t fully recovered from his back injury.
Due to a back injury, the Mumbai middle-order batsman was forced to withdraw from the three-match ODI series against New Zealand and was sent to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for rehabilitation. Despite taking injections, Iyer is still experiencing lower back pain, and the NCA has advised the middle-order batsman to rest for at least two weeks.
Iyer is unlikely to join the Indian team camp in Nagpur before the first Test match on February 2nd, and will instead rehab at NCA. “His injury hasn’t healed as expected and he will take two weeks at least to play cricket again. He will certainly not be available for the first Test and his availability for the second Test will be subject to his fitness report,” a source in the Indian board informed.
The Indian selection committee has announced a 16-man Indian Test squad for the upcoming Test series against Australia. It is unclear whether the national selection committee, led by Chetan Sharma, will select a replacement or field a 15-man squad for the first Test at home.
Suryakumar Yadav to make his Test debut?
It is highly likely that Suryakumar Yadav, who has done wonders in the shortest format of the game in the last year, will make his Test debut in Shreyas Iyer’s absence. However, no formal announcement has yet been made.
The Indian Cricket Board secretary Jay Shah announced Iyer’s injury in a statement a few weeks ago. “Team India batter Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the upcoming 3-match ODI series against New Zealand due to a back injury. He will be heading to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for further assessment and management,” Jay Shah said in a statement.
