Even as the fitness status of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul is yet to be ascertained, India seem to have been dealt with another injury blow ahead of the third Test against England in Rajkot, starting February 15. Middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has reportedly complained of back stiffness and pain in the groin area while batting, making him a doubtful starter for the rest of the series. (More Cricket News)
While the playing kits of the home team's entire squad for the second Test were flown from Visakhapatnam to Rajkot, Iyer’s equipment was sent to his home in Mumbai, according to an Indian Express report.
The report adds that Iyer will be sent to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for more tests but the batter hopes to return to competitive cricket by the time the Indian Premier League's 2024 edition begins. Iyer had undergone surgery last year after a back injury, and played a crucial role in India's strong 2023 ODI World Cup campaign.
“Iyer has informed the Indian team management and the medical staff that his back gets stiff after playing more than 30 balls and he feels pain in his groin while playing forward defence. Post surgery, he is facing this issue for the first time so he has been advised to rest for a few weeks. He will head to NCA later,” the report quotes a source as saying.
Meanwhile, there is no clarity yet on the availability of Virat Kohli for the upcoming games. The Indian batting titan had missed the first two Tests owing to personal reasons.
The overall picture will be clear once the Board of Control for Cricket in India's Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee names the squad for the remainder of the five-match series, which is nicely poised at 1-1 after two riveting matches.
