Shreyas Iyer dropped, not out injured: Reports

The Indian squad for the remaining three IND vs ENG Tests was announced earlier today (February 10) and saw a few interesting calls being taken. While star batter Virat Kohli once again confirmed his unavailability, it was the decision to drop Shreyas Iyer that created intrigue. 

The middle-order batter was notably missing from India's team for the remainder of the England series. Iyer, however, has been complaining of a back and groin injury and it was presumed that he was dropped for rehabilitation. 

But an ESPNCricinfo report has now claimed that the pain 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.

"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.

Is this the decline of Shreyas Iyer's Test career?

Iyer has struggled to achieve a half-century for an extended period, raising concerns over his performance on batting-friendly Indian pitches. Since his impressive scores of 87 and 29* against Bangladesh in 2022, Iyer's Test cricket performances have been inconsistent with scores of 4, 12, 0, 26, 31, 6, 0, 4*, 35, 13, 27, and 29.

It appears increasingly likely that Iyer may not be considered for Test matches in the near future due to his vulnerability against short-pitched deliveries, which has been a persistent weakness in his game.

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India will play one more crucial Test series against Australia later in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, comprising five matches Down Under. Given Iyer's struggles with techniques suited to tracks that generate bounce, it seems improbable that he will secure selection for the tour. 

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