IND vs AUS: Shreyas Iyer undergoes scan due to lower back pain after third day’s play of fourth Test

The BCCI informed that Iyer had complained of pain in his lower back following the third day’s play on Saturday and had gone for scans. “The BCCI medical team is monitoring him,” the Board said in a note.

FILE PHOTO: India cricketer Shreyas Iyer celebrates after the dismissal of Australia’s Usman Khawaja during the third day of the third Test at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on March 3, 2023.  | Photo Credit: AFP

As KS Bharat walked in, after the dismissal of Ravindra Jadeja, there were speculations on why the stumper-batter was preferred over Shreyas Iyer in the batting-order.

However, the BCCI informed that Iyer had complained of pain in his lower back following the third day’s play on Saturday and had gone for scans. “The BCCI medical team is monitoring him,” the Board said in a note.

While it’s still not clear whether Iyer will be available for the remainder of the match, this once again raised questions over the fitness protocols.

Earlier this year, the Mumbai batter had opted out of the ODI series against New Zealand and was later asked to undergo rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. While the sources in the Board had then indicated that Iyer would take ‘at least’ a couple of weeks to recover, he had missed out on the first Test against Australia in Indore, due to a back injury.

But he was drafted into the team straightaway for the second Test in New Delhi after clearing the fitness test, where he scored 4 and 12, and struggled in the third fixture in Indore with scores of 0 and 26.

Over the last few months, Iyer has struggled with his lower-back issues, and now with another scare resurfacing, it also raises questions about the NCA and its fitness regimes. It is another instance of a player’s injury resurfacing soon after the Board’s medical committee’s go-ahead to play international cricket.

Last year in September, the medical team gave clearance to Jasprit Bumrah to play a couple of T20I against Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup. But after a couple of matches, his injury resurfaced, and Bumrah was ruled out of the ICC event. The then chief selector Chetan Sharma had later admitted that they rushed Bumrah to return for the T20 World Cup, but the pace ace has been out of action since.

Ever since scoring a century on debut in Kanpur in 2021 against New Zealand, Iyer has been a steady middle-order batter for India in the sub-continent and his determination and skills have time and again earned praise from the team management. But now, with the batter complaining of another lower-back discomfort, it needs to be seen whether he is eventually cleared to take the field anytime soon.

Iyer is also the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, which begins on March 31.