The Indian cricket team has returned to winning ways on the field in the Test series against England. After losing the first match, Team India made a strong comeback in the next two matches and defeated England and took a 2-1 lead in the series. However, amid these wins, some Indian players are under the scanner for their behavior off the field and are also being discussed for not following BCCI orders. Ishan Kishan's case continues to be in the headlines and now a new name has emerged – Shreyas Iyer. In the reports, questions have been raised about this Indian batsman whether he is truthful.
Middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer, who was part of Team India in the first and second Test against England, has not got a place in the team for the next three matches. After the second Test, he complained of back pain, leading to speculation that this might have been the reason for his exclusion. However, apart from injury, his form was also a factor and the selection committee advised him to manage his workload by playing in the Ranji Trophy.
Shreyas, who was expected to play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, pulled out of the crucial group stage match and also refused to play in the quarter-finals. He informed the Mumbai selectors about his inability to play in the quarter-finals due to back pain. Now a new revelation has come. According to a report in the Indian Express, the Bengaluru-based National Cricket Academy (NCA) has informed the selection committee that Iyer has not suffered any new injuries and is fit.
Nitin Patel, head of the sports science division at the NCA and former head physio of Team India, informed the board through an email a day after Iyer decided not to play in the Ranji match due to back pain. In the email, Patel said that the fitness reports of Team India players after the second Test indicate that Shreyas Iyer is fit and available for selection. Apart from this, he said that even after being out of Team India, Iyer has not suffered any new injury.
This has raised the question whether Shreyas Iyer has made any false excuse to avoid playing Ranji matches for Mumbai. Alternatively, the question arises whether he again experienced pain but did not inform the NCA, which is mandatory for centrally contracted players. The controversy comes at a time when BCCI secretary Jay Shah has stressed on the importance of playing red-ball cricket for national team selection and has asked the central contractor to give priority to domestic red-ball cricket over the Indian Premier League (IPL). A strict warning has been issued to the players. ,