IND vs AUS: In a major setback for the Indian side ahead of the marquee India vs Australia test series 2023, middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the 1st test match against Australia after failing to recover from his back injury. The batter won’t take part in the opening test in Nagpur, starting February 9 and will straight away head to Delhi for the second fixture.
Shreyas Iyer had to miss out on the ongoing three-match One Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand after suffering a back injury. He travelled to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangaluru for his rehabilitation.
As per the reports, despite taking injections, Iyer still complained of lower back pain following which the medics in the NCA have advised him to undergo two more weeks of rest and rehab.
Iyer would not join the rest of his Indian test teammates in Nagpur on February 2nd for the pre-series camp. Interestingly, Shreyas Iyer’s absence may bring an opportunity for Suryakumar Yadav to make his test debut in Nagpur.
“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.
Meanwhile, it is still uncertain whether the Indian management will seek a replacement for Iyer or go ahead with a 16 minus one member test squad against Australia.
Ravindra Jadeja to make his test comeback against Australia
Senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will join the Indian camp on February 2nd in Nagpur as the cricketer has successfully completed his rehab. He suffered a knee injury back in 2022 and was out of action since then. His last test appearance came when India toured England in 2022 for the postponed fifth test match of the five-match test series which was held in 2021.
Jadeja has made sure that he is in the groove before making a comeback on the Indian side. The all-rounder recently took part in the Ranji Trophy match for his home side Saurashtra against Tamil Nadu and scalped seven wickets to take his side home.