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India’s star batsman Shreyas Iyer had been in the headlines for reasons both on and off the field over the past month. Iyer was dropped from the Indian team after the second Test in Visakhapatnam against England in February without explanation. This came after his removal from BCCI’s central contracts; Iyer complained of back pain after the second test but was deemed fit by the NCA.
Following his exclusion from the annual contract list, Iyer, adhering to the BCCI’s diktat on players’ participation in the Ranji Trophy, joined the Mumbai team in the domestic first-class tournament. He remained part of the playing XI when Mumbai faced Vidarbha in this week’s final.
However, a report from Indian Times now claims that Iyer has once again developed a back problem and could miss the start of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ season. If true, this raises an important question: was the Indian batsman forced to return to competitive action in the Ranji Trophy?
The newspaper reports that the back injury plaguing Iyer resurfaced during his impressive 95-run innings in the second innings of the Ranji Trophy final at the Wankhede Stadium. During his 111-ball knock on Tuesday, Iyer had to pause twice to seek treatment from the Mumbai physiotherapist for back spasms.
However, on the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy final, the 29-year-old could not take the field for the entire day. TOI reports that Iyer underwent a scan of his back at a hospital, indicating the severity of his injury and raising concerns about his future participation in the tournament.
“It doesn’t look good. It is the same back injury that has worsened. It is unlikely that he will take the field on Day 5 of the Ranji Trophy final. He risks missing the first few matches of the IPL,” the newspaper reported quoting a source.
He further added that Iyer had also communicated problems related to his back to the Indian team management during the series against England. “During the recent Test series against England at home, he told the Indian team management that this injury was troubling him again.”
Iyer’s back injury woes
Shreyas Iyer was forced to miss the entire Indian Premier League season last year due to a back injury. He underwent back surgery in April and was subsequently also ruled out of India’s World Test Championship final against Australia.
After spending months on the sidelines in rehabilitation and recovery, the 29-year-old returned to the national team at the Asia Cup and eventually participated in the 2023 World Cup as well. Iyer was India’s third highest run-getter in the tournament, with 530 runs to his name in 11 games.