India vs Australia: Shreyas Iyer ruled out of ODI series, doubtful for IPL as well

Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of India's upcoming One-Day International (ODI) series against Australia, Team India's fielding coach T Dilip confirmed on Wednesday.

Iyer did not bat in India's innings in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad after he suffered reoccurrence of a lower-back injury. Meanwhile, it is understood that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Iyer is unlikely to play in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is going to begin on March 31.

The Mumbai batsman is currently back in the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for extensive rehabilitation. However, it is still not certain if he'll need to undergo surgery like Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna.

"Injuries are a part and parcel of the game. We have the best medical facilities and they are well-equipped. We are in coordination (with NCA). Shreyas was ruled out of this series. (We will be able to provide) further updates as and when we know," India's fielding coach T Dilip told the media in his debut press conference.

After a long injury lay-off due to a back injury, Iyer returned to the Indian team for the four-match Test series against Australia. He then complained of similar issues during the fourth Test in Ahmedabad. The medical team of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) then took Iyer for scans; following which, it was confirmed that Iyer would be surely out of the first half of the IPL 2023. A call on his participation will be later taken by the BCCI, who will also keep the 50-over World Cup in mind that is scheduled to be played in October-November this year in India.

Speaking in a post-match interview after the fourth Test ended in a draw and India clinched the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1, Rohit termed Iyer's situation as "unfortunate."

"Poor guy. It just was such an unfortunate incident. He had to wait all day [second day] to bat and then when the day got over, the issue he had with his back, recurred. He was sent to the hospital to take scans. I don't know the exact report of the scans, but he does not seem to be doing that well," Rohit said.

On Monday, the fifth and final day of the Ahmedabad Test, the BCCI said in a media release that a "specialist's opinion will be sought" to treat Iyer's condition, which is a recurrence of the issue he experienced in December following the tour of Bangladesh.

Even during the first time of the injury, Iyer had swelling in his lower back for which he was given an injection at the NCA. His rehabilitation at the time took longer than expected, with the middle-order batsman missing the home ODIs against New Zealand as well as the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Nagpur last month.

Meanwhile, Iyer's absence could hand a debut to uncapped batsman from Madhya Pradesh Rajat Pattidar ahead of the ODI series against Australia. Patidar has completed his fitness assessment following a two-week long physical conditioning at the NCA.

The three-match ODI series between India and Australia will begin on Friday, with the opening game to be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The hosts will be without their regular captain Rohit Sharma, but he will return for the final two games. In Rohit's absence, Hardik Pandya will lead India in the Mumbai ODIs.

India vs Australia ODI series: Squads

Australia: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, K L Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Jaydev Unadkatt