Mumbai-born India middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer is once again troubled by a recurring back injury and it is likely to keep him out of all cricket action for at least another week. That means Iyer will not be able to take part in Mumbai’s final Elite B Ranji Trophy 2024 group stage match against Assam, which is taking place at the MCA cricket ground with the visitors (Assam) batting first after lose the draw.
Shreyas Iyer was all set to perform in Mumbai today, but reports emerged yesterday that his back pain has come back to haunt him once again. He will now remain on the sidelines for at least a week or so until Mumbai resume Ranji Trophy action from the quarter-finals.
The 41-time champions are currently at the top of the Elite B group with 30 points to their name after 4 wins and one loss. Iyer’s presence in the already balanced Mumbai team would have added even more depth to his batting order, which consists of the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Bhupen Lalwani, Ajinkya Rahane and all-rounder Shivam Dube, among others.
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Shreyas recommended to play Ranji Trophy
The Mumbaikars have scored wins against Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Bengal, with their only loss coming against Nitish Rana’s Uttar Pradesh. In the previous match they tied against Chhattisgarh.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer was initially touted to remain on duty with the Indian team in the ongoing five-match Test series against England. The selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar dropped the 29-year-old for the remaining 3 Tests in Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamshala after poor results in the first two Tests.
It was not just because of his performances in the Tests in Hyderabad and Vizag that the management was forced to drop him, but he was going through a poor patch of form. In his last 4 Test matches, twice against South Africa and England, Shreyas Iyer has scored scores of 31, 6, 0, 4, 35, 13, 27 and 29, which is enough for a player to be completely excluded from the team. .
There were initial reports of him leaving the team due to back spasms, but later it remained a mystery as Iyer had recovered in time for the Rajkot Test.
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BCCI official opens up about Shreyas Iyer
An official BCCI source revealed yesterday that Shreyas Iyer himself told the team management about his recurring back injury, claiming that he asked for time off to recover. He reported the pain just after 30 minutes of batting before the source added that he would be in action later this month.
“He had told the Indian team management and selectors that his back hurt after batting for 30-40 minutes. He needs some time to recover. He is likely to be available for the Ranji Trophy quarter-final for Mumbai later this month, in a bid to return to the Indian team.” – the BCCI source told the Times of India.
The dates of the 2024 Ranji Trophy quarter-finals are not known yet but will most likely take place in March.
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