India suffers another injury blow as star batter complains of stiffness in the back and groin pain and is likely to miss out the remainder of the series.
Team India has suffered another blow in the ongoing Test series against England. Middle order batter Shreyas Iyer has complained of stiffness in the back and pain in the groin area while playing forward defence. As a result, Iyer is likely to miss the remainder of the series which will further deplete the middle order.
According to the Indian Express, Iyer will be sent to National Cricket Academy (NCA) in the Bangalore for further tests. He will hope to be fit till the IPL 2024 starts.
Shreyas Iyer likely to miss the last 3 Tests due to stiff back and groin pain. (Indian Express). pic.twitter.com/MUO16Y1ZsU
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 9, 2024
“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. 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,” a source said to The Indian Express.
India were already without K L Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja in the last match at Vizag, who were out due to injuries. Virat Kohli is also set to miss the remainder of the series. With Iyer injured as well, the middle order looks fairly inexperienced and fragile against a determined England bowling attack.
Rajat Patidar, who made a debut in the last match can get another game here if Iyer is not available. India also have the choice of giving Sarfaraz Khan a Test debut in Iyer’s absence.
Last year, Shreyas Iyer went surgery after his back injury, due to which he missed the entire season of IPL 2023 and WTC final. The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, is due to name the India squad for the remaining three Tests on Friday. Lately, Iyer hasn’t been in good form in Test cricket and had been under constant pressure to score runs. The series is interestingly poised at 1-1 and the next Test will be played at Rajkot from February 15-19.
