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'He will walk straight into India XI if…': Rahul Dravid hints at change for 2nd Test, SKY to be dropped for Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer batted for long hours in India's first full-fledged training on Wednesday. Dravid said Iyer will bat again on Thursday and if the team management feels he is ready to take the load for five days, he will straightaway come into the XI.
A fit-again Shreyas Iyer is set to "walk into" India's playing XI for the second Test match against Australia starting February 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Iyer missed the three-match ODI series against New Zealand and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener against Australia in Nagpur due to a back injury. But after undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, the right-hander set to get his position back in the middle-order. That means, Suryakumar Yadav, who made his debut in the Nagpur Test and was out bowled for eight, will have to set out. India head coach Rahul Dravid said everyone in the team understands the situation.
Iyer batted for long hours in India's first full-fledged training on Wednesday. Dravid said Iyer will bat again on Thursday and if the team management feels he is ready to take the load for five days, he will straightaway come into the XI.
"It's always great to have somebody back from injury. We never like to lose people because of injury. It's not for us as a team, not nice for the individual. I'm glad that he is back and fit. We'll take a call after a couple of days of training. He's had a long session today, he has done some training. We will assess it tomorrow as well once he comes for a light hit and see how it goes. If he is fit and ready to go and take the load of five days of a Test match, then without a doubt with his past performances, he will walk straight into the XI," Dravid said in the pre-match press conference.
Iyer has been one of India's top performers in ODIs and Tests in the last year and a half. Ever since making his debut against New Zealand in November 2021, he has shown admirable composure at this level. Iyer is India's second-highest scorer in Test cricket since his debut. His tally of 624 runs in 7 Tests at an average of 56 is only behind Rishabh Pant's 722 runs in 8 matches.
Dravid said, more than Iyer's abilities against spinners, it's his temperament that has impressed him the most, making him a sureshot contender in the middle order. "Yes, Shreyas has played well against spin but what really stood out is his temperament. We've been in quite a few pressure situations with Shreyas around, right from his debut game in Kanpur. In the last year and a half, he, Jadeja and Rishabh have been the ones bailing us out from those tough situations by playing those critical knocks. His temperament in Bangladesh when we were under the pump, is something that is a really good sign," Dravid added.
On being asked about Suryakumar Yadav's position, the former India captain said the current team management values performers who have won matches for India and when they make a comeback from an injury, they will get their spot back in the XI.
"Without it being on stone and without it being a rule... We value the contributions of people who have performed. If they have missed out due to injuries, they deserve the right to make a comeback irrespective of what has happened during the time that they have been injured," he said.
