Last Update: February 01, 2023, 11:38 IST
Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer.
Earlier, a report in The Indian Express had said that Iyer would take at least a fortnight to regain full fitness. This means a golden opportunity for Surya Kumar Yadav who is now the frontrunner to replace Iyer.
What can be a bigger shock than this? India Batsman Shreyas Iyer has reportedly been ruled out of the series opener against Australia which is scheduled to begin on February 9 in Nagpur. Earlier, Iyer had taken a break from the three-match ODI series following an injury concern and was later asked to undergo rehab at NCA Bengaluru.
However, he is expected to be fully fit before the second Test at Feroz Shah Kotla.
Read also: Gary Balance set for Zimbabwe Test debut against Windies
Earlier, a report in The Indian Express had said that Iyer would take at least a fortnight to regain full fitness. His injury has not healed as expected and he will take at least two weeks to play cricket again. He will definitely not be available for the first Test and his availability for the second Test will depend on his fitness report.
This means a golden opportunity for Suryakumar Yadav, who is now the frontrunner to replace Iyer, although with Ravindra Jadeja also coming into the mix, there is still uncertainty about the playing XI. Earlier Sky had told the press how playing alongside White is something he is looking forward to. It must be mentioned here that he made his international debut at the age of 29.
Read also: When angry Dhoni gave ‘ultimatum’ to the poor fielders
“Obviously, everybody wants to play Test cricket. You start your cricket at the domestic level, playing only with the red ball, and I played for Mumbai. We all know how exciting the series will be, but at the same time, it’s about living in the present and focussing on how to give our best for tomorrow’s game, then we have everything to think about for the Test. It’s time.” Press conference before the third T20
Coming back to Iyer, the Mumbaikar has been in tremendous form in the longer version of the game. Since his Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur where he scored a century, he has scored 624 runs in 7 Tests for India at an average of 58.73.
The first Test match will begin at Nagpur’s VCA Stadium Jamtha, after which the team will leave for the national capital for the second Test match. Australia last won a series in India in 2004. The pressure will be on Rohit Sharma and his men to defend the title and not become the first Indian team in 19 years to lose to BGT.
get the latest cricket news, the schedule And cricket live score Here