What happened to Iyer?

According to a report in The Indian Express, Shreyas Iyer’s injury could make him miss the last three Tests against England, in Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala, after complaining of a couple of injury concerns. According to the report, he told the medical staff that his back gets stiff after he plays more than 30 deliveries and that he feels pain in the groin while playing the forward defence.

Iyer had undergone a back surgery last year, forcing him to miss the Indian Premier League. Following the complaints, Iyer is likely to be sent to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for further tests, which makes him doubtful for the remainder of the series as well.

Kit being flown home?

“Iyer has informed the Indian team management and the medical staff that his back gets stiff after playing more than 30 balls and he feels pain in his groin while playing forward defence,” a source told The Indian Express. “Post surgery, he is facing this issue for the first time so he has been advised to rest for a few weeks. He will head to NCA later.”

Reports also suggest that Iyer’s playing kit has been flown to his home in Mumbai from Visakhapatnam, the venue for the second Test, while the kits of the other players flew to Rajkot, where the next match will be played, on February 15.

In a separate report, Cricbuzz states that he is likely to miss the Rajkot Test due to back stiffness.

The Indian team is already dealing with several injury concerns – Mohammed Shami has not played competitive cricket since the 2023 World Cup final due to an undisclosed injury and is unlikely to feature against England, while Ravindra Jadeja looks all set to miss the remainder of the England Tests due to a hamstring injury.

KL Rahul injured his right quad during the first Test and could make a comeback for the last three games. India are also missing Virat Kohli, who has requested a break to be with his family and Rishabh Pant, whose rehab continues after he survived a car accident last year.

The Indian team for the last three Tests is expected to be picked today (Friday, February 9).