The injury matters in Indian cricket continue to pile up as Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the IPL 2023 and the following World Test Championship (WTC) Final, which will be played between India and Australia at The Kennington Oval, London, from June 7.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will now have to seek a replacement player and captain for Shreyas Iyer, who led KKR for the first time last season, after being bought for INR 12.25 crore in the IPL 2022 mega-auction, but KKR failed to reach the playoffs. KKR see Iyer as a long-term captaincy prospect and weren’t bothered much about last season’s results.
But now, in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who is out due to the recurrence of his back injury, KKR will have to brainstorm for their new skipper.
Shreyas Iyer is ruled out for 3-4 months
A report in the Times of India revealed that the 28-year-old right-handed batter is set to undergo surgery to treat his recurring lower back injury issue. Another India player who recently underwent a back injury surgery is Jasprit Bumrah, who is ruled out of action at least until August.
While Bumrah being a fast bowler will need more time to be back to action, with Shreyas Iyer it’s believed that he will miss three to four months of action and could be back by July.
“Iyer has been advised to go for surgery. He is keen to get operated on by a specialist in London, but if there is a decent option in India, then the surgery could take place here also,” a source told TOI.
Shreyas Iyer missed the 6 home white-ball matches against New Zealand and the first Border-Gavaskar series Test against Australia due to back injury, which he recovered at the NCA. He featured in the next three Tests, but didn’t come out to bat in the 4th Test in Ahmedabad after complaining of back pain and was rushed back to the NCA.
He’s been rehabbing there in order to be fit for the IPL after missing the 3-ODI series against Steve Smith’s side.
Initially, it was believed that Iyer could miss only a few matches and then play about more than half of the IPL 2023, but now, he’s been ruled out for a long time.
KL Rahul could get a chance to make a comeback in Test team in place of Shreyas Iyer
His absence from the WTC final might reopen the doors for KL Rahul again to get back in the Test side, this time in the middle-order, after being ousted by Shubman Gill due to his poor form in the longest format.
KL Rahul has a good Test record at The Oval: in 2 Test matches at The Oval, KL Rahul averages 62, with scores of 37, 149, 17, and 46. He was India’s second-best batsman on the 2021 tour of England, showcasing his impressive, admirable technical and temperament game to tackle bowlers in the English conditions.
