Shreyas Iyer to take 6-month break from First-Class cricket: Details
What's the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that Shreyas Iyer will be taking a six-month break from red-ball cricket. The decision comes after the player experienced back spasms and stiffness following recent surgery in the United Kingdom. Despite this, Iyer will lead India A in three upcoming one-day matches against Australia A. Here are the details.
Fitness concerns
Tough for Iyer to endure FC cricket rigors
Iyer has been struggling with first-class cricket due to his back problems. A BCCI source told The Times of India that "Iyer spoke to Agarkar and conveyed that it's getting tougher for him to endure the rigors of first-class cricket." The break will give Iyer time to strengthen his body and improve fitness levels.
Performance review
Iyer's recent performances have been below par
Iyer's recent performances have been below par. He posted with low scores in across both innings for West Zone in their Duleep Trophy clash against Central Zone. He scored 25 and 12 runs in that contest. And recently in the 1st unofficial Test between India A and Australia A, Iyer perished for a score worth 8. The high-scoring contest was drawn.
Captaincy role
Iyer will lead India A against Australia A
Despite his fitness issues, Iyer will lead the India A team against Australia A in three one-day matches, as mentioned above The first match is scheduled for September 30 in Kanpur. For the second and third ODIs, Tilak Verma has been named vice-captain of the India A squad. This shows BCCI's faith in Iyer's leadership skills even amid personal challenges.
Irani Cup
Rajat Patidar to captain Rest of India in Irani Cup
Rajat Patidar will captain the Rest of India squad against Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha in the Irani Cup. The match is scheduled to be played in Nagpur from October 1. This decision highlights BCCI's strategy to give emerging players like Patidar a chance at leadership roles while established players like Iyer take time off for recovery and fitness improvement.
Squads
India A squad for the one-day matches
India A squad for 1st one-day match: Shreyas Iyer (c), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abishek Porel (wk), Priyansh Arya, Simarjeet Singh. India A squad for 2nd and 3rd one-day matches: Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vice-capt), Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (wk), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh.
Information
A look at the ROI squad for the Irani Cup
Rest of India squad for Irani Cup match vs Vidarbha: Rajat Patidar (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Aryan Juyal (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vc), Yash Dhull, Shaikh Rasheed, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Saransh Jain.