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Shreyas Iyer dropped not injured, BCCI selectors unlikely to pick him for India Test side any time soon

Feb 10, 2024 04:27 PM IST

Shreyas Iyer was available for selection but the BCCI selectors decided to look beyond him for the remaining Tests against England after a string of low scores.

Shreyas Iyer has been dropped for the final three Tests against England after a string of low scores. Iyer did complain of back spasms after the second Test but an ESPNCricinfo report claimed that it was not serious enough to rule him out of the next three Tests in Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala. Iyer, in fact, was available for selection but the selectors decided to look elsewhere following the right-hander's prolonged lean patch.

India's batter Shreyas Iyer walks back to the pavilion(PTI)
India's batter Shreyas Iyer walks back to the pavilion(PTI)

The biggest giveaway about Iyer's non-selection being a tactical call instead of being a forced one due to injury was the BCCI press release that came out on Saturday morning. Apart from the 17 names picked for the remainder of the series, the release also carried a couple of notes about certain players.

It mentioned that Virat Kohli was unavailable for selection due to personal reasons and the board has extended its support towards the former India captain and that KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have been included in the side subject to fitness. Both of them were ruled out of the second Test due to respective injuries. The selectors are confident about their availability for the third Test in Rajkot starting next Thursday.

The release, however, had no mention of Iyer and his injury. While BCCI press releases not explaining the non-selection of a particular player is nothing unusual this time it does indicate that Iyer has been dropped. Otherwise, it makes no sense not to add another note about his unavailability due to a back injury.

Shreyas Iyer unlikely to be considered for Test cricket any time soon

"If Shreyas was to be rested because of injury, the BCCI medical bulletin would have had an update. Since there are no updates, it can be concluded that he has got the axe," a source was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Iyer has not scored a fifty for the longest time and his mode of dismissals on batting-friendly Indian tracks is a cause of concern. Since his 87 and 29* against Bangladesh in 2022, Iyer's returns in Test cricket have been 4, 12, 0, 26, 31, 6, 0, 4*, 35, 13, 27, 29.

It is understood that Iyer might not be considered for the longer version of the game soon as he has always been susceptible to the short ball, a weakness.

India have one more big Test series in the current WTC cycle -- five games against Australia Down Under at the end of the year and Iyer, with his technique, unlikely to get the selectors' nod for games on tracks offering steep bounce.

In place of Iyer, the sectors kept faith in Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan. Patidar made his debut in Visakhapatnam and he is likely to get another opportunity in Rajkot. Sarfaraz will also remain in the scheme of things.

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