Captain Rohit Sharma revealed at the toss during the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match against Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday that Shreyas Iyer, who had only joined the squad two matches ago and played only one innings so far, was on the bench for the crucial tie due to a new injury concern, leaving veterans, experts, and fans stunned.
As Rohit mentioned, it was a “forced change” because the team sheet initially listed Rahul as the 13th man and Iyer as his normal No. 4, but their numbers were struck out just before the game.
The entire build-up to the Pakistan game revolved around whether India should play Rahul, who had been out with a hamstring injury since May, followed by a niggle during his Asia Cup practice at the NCA, or Ishan Kishan, who replaced him in the line-up for the group-stage tie against the arch-rivals and scored a stunning 82.
However, the conversation quickly switched to whether both could be in the lineup, casting doubt on Iyer’s status in the XI.
Iyer, like Rahul, has recently returned from a lengthy injury layoff. He had been out since March of this year due to a lower back strain, for which he had to have surgery before recuperating in time to make the Asia Cup and World Cup squads, with head coach Rahul Dravid delighted with the batter’s improvement, noting that he had “ticked all the boxes.”
On Sunday, though, he suffered another back injury, taking him out of the playing XI against Pakistan and leaving great cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Sunil Gavaskar “concerned.”
Gavaskar expressed disappointment in the unfortunate turn of events for Iyer, who he felt looked in good touch in that knock of 14 he played in Pallekele against Pakistan, and added that India would have to keep a replacement ready if he does not get fit for the World Cup.
“It’s a worry definitely. If a player is out for 5-6 months due to an injury and then has it again with a month before World Cup, so yes it is an area of concern. Luckily, you can make changes in your World Cup team, and in case he is unfit and doesn’t recover then there will be somebody who will replace him. It is sad because he looked good in that match against Pakistan. He played a lovely cover drive,” he said.