The problems are never-ending for Team India. At a time when there is no clarity on Virat Kohli's return and question marks lingering over KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja's fitness, it has now come to light that Shreyas Iyer is struggling with a recurring back problem. As per a report in The Indian Express, Iyer is in danger of being ruled out of the remaining three Test matches against England after he complained of stiffness in his back and pain in the groin area.
While the rest of the Indian players' kits went directly from Visakhapatnam to Rajkot, the venue for the third Test, Iyer's kit was sent to Mumbai, his hometown, the report added. Iyer is likely to rest for a few days before starting his recovery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
The right-hander has reportedly informed the team management about his displeasure in the back and groin area after staying in the crease for more than 30 balls.
“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,” a source told The Indian Express. “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 injury comes at the worst time for Iyer. He has been horribly out of form, not scoring a half-century in 13 innings. Despite being rated as one of the better players of spin, he has been dismissed four times against a spinner during this England series. The bigger concern, however, was the fact that he was falling prey to harmless deliveries after getting his eyes in. The back injury, which has resurfaced for the first time since surgery, may have a role in it.
Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan to remain in India Test squad
{{/usCountry}}The injury comes at the worst time for Iyer. He has been horribly out of form, not scoring a half-century in 13 innings. Despite being rated as one of the better players of spin, he has been dismissed four times against a spinner during this England series. The bigger concern, however, was the fact that he was falling prey to harmless deliveries after getting his eyes in. The back injury, which has resurfaced for the first time since surgery, may have a role in it.
Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan to remain in India Test squad
{{/usCountry}}India's squad for the next three Tests is likely to be announced on Friday night. If Iyer is indeed unavailable for selection then the selectors will not have no option but to continue with Rajat Patidar and Sarafaraz Khan. KL Rahul, who missed the second Test due to a quadriceps injury is likely to return to the side. He will slot in at No.4. If Jadeja is fit and included in the squad, then it will be interesting to see if he comes in place of Patidar, who made his debut in the previous Test.
Considering the form of the Indian batters, the team management might not take the risk of dropping a batter to play an extra bowler. In that case, Jadeja will have to come in place of Axar Patel. The lanky all-rounder has not done much with the ball or with the bat and after the kind of performance Kuldeep Yadav put in, it would be difficult to ignore him for the third Test.
The workload management of Jasprit Bumrah is also a major topic of discussion. The pacer has been the difference between the two sides but after bowling 58 overs in the first two Tests, the BCCI medical team will have to take a final call on whether they want to stretch him for another Test match.