In a very positive news for the Indian Cricket Team, Shreyas Iyer has resumed batting practice. Iyer, who missed two matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka due to back spasms, batted confidently in the training session. India will next be seen playing against Bangladesh on Friday (September 14), and if Iyer clears the fitness test, he is likely to be named in the playing XI.
Iyer is a vital cog for team India as he is the designated number four batter in the ODI team. The 28-year-old has done well in the past year or so batting in that crucial position and has earned the right to be the first-choice batter at number 4. With only five ODI matches left for India ahead of the World Cup, India would be anxious to test Iyer’s full fitness.
In the 20 innings that the KKR skipper has batted at number 4, he is scored 805 runs at a solid average of 47.35. In fact, only Rahul has better numbers than Iyer since 2020.
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Iyer’s near to full fitness batting session has now given coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma a good headache. With KL Rahul having cemented his place as the wicketkeeper batter in the team, Ishan Kishan will likely make way for Shreyas Iyer. Although it’s a pretty unfortunate situation, India does not have any other option to accommodate Iyer.
If India decides to play both Kishan and Iyer, then either of Axar Patel or Shardul Thakur will make way. But considering the pitch in Colombo will aid spinners, it is highly unlikely that India will play a bowler short.
India Squad for Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul(w), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Prasidh Krishna, Tilak Varma
