India batsman Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Australia because of a recurring back injury. It is also learnt that the Kolkata Knight Riders captain, who is struggling to walk, could miss a few matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Specialist doctors have also been consulted by the BCCI for Iyer and they will take a call on whether he needs surgery. Iyer could be on the sidelines for up to three months if he undergoes surgery, said a source.
Iyer didn’t bat during India’s first innings of 571 in reply to Australia’s 480 in the fourth and final Test which ended in a draw in Ahmedabad on Monday.
In his post-match media interaction, India captain Rohit Sharma said that Iyer ‘does not seem to be doing that well.’
“Poor guy. It just was such an unfortunate incident,” Sharma said when asked about Iyer’s injury update. Further, he added, “He had to wait all day to bat and then when the day got over, the issue he had with his back recurred. He was sent to the hospital to take scans. I don’t know the exact report of the scans, but he does not seem to be doing that well. Obviously, that’s why he’s not present here, so we don’t know the exact status of how long he will take to recover or when he will be back. When it happened, it did not look that great. I hope he recovers quickly and comes back and plays again.”
Iyer had joined the Test team only for the second game in Delhi after completing his rehab for a back injury at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He scored 4, 12 in Delhi and 0 and 26 in Indore.
Meanwhile, the senior selection committee won’t be naming a replacement for Iyer for the three ODIs against Australia that begins with the match in Mumbai on Friday. A 17-player strong team was named for the series. Captain Rohit will miss the first ODI because of a family function.