Star batter Shreyas Iyer, who was ruled out of the first Test due to a lower back injury is still doing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy and it is unlikely the team management will risk playing him directly in a Test match. (More Cricket News)
India and Australia will play the second Test at the Ferozshah Kotla from Friday and it is to be seen if Iyer is able to join the team.
Iyer had posted a few videos of his intense rehab programme at the NCA in Bengaluru under trainer S Rajnikanth.
Iyer is doing his strength and conditioning routines but the norm for return to play in international arena is to at least play a domestic game of some form before donning national colours again.
Hence Iyer, who hasn't played any competitive cricket for a month now, might not be directly thrown into a Test match where he might have to field for 90 overs, crouch and stand close-in and then bat for long hours.
It will be interesting to see if the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee names Iyer in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup match against Madhya Pradesh from March 1-5 to prove his fitness just like they asked Ravindra Jadeja to play a Ranji Trophy game against Tamil Nadu.
Jasprit Bumrah's recovery from stress fracture has been a slow one and the Indian team management is unlikely to risk playing him in the three ODIs against Australia just after the end of the four-match Test series.
Bumrah will be needed for the potential World Test Championship final at the Oval in London from June 7-11 and also for the big ODI World Cup in India at the end of the year.
Therefore, there is a possibility that Bumrah will return to play during Mumbai Indians' campaign at the IPL this year where his workload will be monitored.
