Shreyas Iyer withdraws from Australia A match citing personal reasons
What's the story
Shreyas Iyer has withdrawn from the India A squad and relinquished his captaincy duties, just hours before their second four-day unofficial Test against Australia A. The match is set to begin on Tuesday in Lucknow. While the exact reason for this sudden decision remains unclear, reports suggest that he may have cited personal reasons to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Leadership change
Dhruv Jurel to lead India A
With Iyer withdrawing from the squad, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel will take over the captaincy for the second match. He was Iyer's deputy in the first game. As of now, there has been no announcement regarding a replacement for Iyer in the India A squad. The team had played out a high-scoring draw with Australia A in their first four-day match.
Performance review
Iyer's recent form
Iyer had a disappointing outing in the first unofficial Test, scoring just eight runs off 13 balls. He had also scored 25 and 12 for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone earlier this month. Despite these recent outings, Iyer is still in contention for a middle-order spot in India's upcoming two-Test home series against West Indies, starting October 2 at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.
Past achievements
Iyer's ODI form and Asia Cup exclusion
Earlier this year, Iyer had a stellar run in India's ODI Champions Trophy-winning campaign. He was the team's top scorer with 243 runs in five matches at an average of 48.60. However, he was left out of the squad for the ongoing Asia Cup in Dubai. Meanwhile, pacer Mohammed Siraj will replace Khaleel Ahmed for the second match against Australia A.