India will be without the services of their middle-order mainstay Shreyas Iyer who has been ruled out of the upcoming three match one-day international series against New Zealand owing to a back injury, due to which he will be heading to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore for recovery and recuperation.
Madhya Pradesh and Indian Premier League (IPL) team Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) batsman Rajat Patidar has been named as replacement.
According to reports, it has been learnt that Shreyas Iyer reported suffering from a stiff back right after the conclusion of the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka played at Thiruvananthapuram — a game in which he played a part — and was eventually ruled out of the series against New Zealand.
With an important Test series of four matches against Australia coming up, the BCCI medical staff has decided to send him to the NCA in Bangalore as a precautionary measure.
The right-handed middle order batsman Shreyas Iyer is now scheduled to rejoin the Indian squad in Nagpur for a preparatory camp which will be held ahead of the first Test match against Australia starting on February 9.
Even though Shreyas Iyer had an ordinary returns in the ODI series against Sri Lanka scoring 28, 28 and 38 batting at number four, remains a vital cog in the Indian teams plans for the 50 over matches that are lined up, including the all-important World Cup towards the end of the year.
Since 2022, Shreyas Iyer has been India’s second highest run scorer behind opening batsman Shubman Gill, with 818 runs at an average of 51.12 and a strike rate of 92.95.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed in a media release on Tuesday saying, “Team India batter Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the upcoming 3-match ODI series against New Zealand due to a back injury. He will be heading to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for further assessment and management. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Rajat Patidar as replacement for Shreyas Iyer. India play the first ODI against New Zealand in Hyderabad on 18th January, 2023.”
The replacement of Shreyas Iyer, another right-handed batsman Rajat Patidar, is yet to make his international debut. The 29-year-old talented batsman was a part of the ODI series in Bangladesh last year in December but did not get a game. He has scored more than 1,600 runs in 51 List A matches at an average of 34.33 and a strike rate of 97.45.
India’s updated ODI squad against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KS Bharat (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Rajat Patidar, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik.