In what could be a major blow, India batter Shreyas Iyer is reportedly ruled out of the series opener against Australia which is set to begin on February 9 in Nagpur. Earlier, Iyer had taken a break from the three-match ODI series after an injury concern and was later asked to undertake rehab at NCA Bengaluru.
However, he is expected to regain full fitness before the second Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
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Earlier, a report in The Indian Express said that Iyer will take at least a fortnight before regaining full fitness. “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 told the newspaper.
This means a golden opportunity for Surya Kumar Yadav who now becomes the frontrunner to replace Iyer, however with Ravindra Jadeja also coming in the mix, there is uncertainty as of now about the playing eleven. Earlier SKY told the press how playing in whites is something that he is looking forward to. Here it must be mentioned that he made his international debut at a ripe age of 29.
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“Obviously, everyone wants to play Test cricket. You start your cricket at domestic level, playing with red ball only, and I played for Mumbai. We all know how exciting the series would be, but at the same time, it’s about staying in the present and the focus is on how to give your best for tomorrow’s game, then we have full time to think about Tests,” Suryakumar said in the press conference ahead of 3rd T20I.
Coming back to Iyer, the Mumbaikar has been in tremendous form in the longer version of the game. Since his Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur where he scored a century, he has accounted for 624 runs in 7 Tests for India, averaging 58.73.
The first Test match begins at VCA stadium Jamtha in Nagpur after which the entourage moves to the national capital for the second Test match. Australia last won a series in India in 2004. Pressure would be on Rohit Sharma and his men to defend the title and not become the first Indian team in 19 years to lose the BGT.
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