After suffering a “jerk” on his left rib cage when taking Alex Carey’s catch off Harshit Rana’s bowling during the third ODI in Sydney on Saturday, Shreyas Iyer, India’s new ODI vice-captain, may be sidelined for at least three weeks, if not longer.
It is now unknown if he would be ready for India’s opening One-Day International (ODI) against South Africa on November 30 in Ranchi.
“Shreyas was taken to the hospital for scans during the match itself. As per initial diagnosis, there has been a jerk and he will have to be out of action for minimum three weeks.”
“He will have to report to the Centre of Excellence on his return. Further reports are awaited before one can conclude if he will require more time for recovery. If it is a hairline fracture then it might take longer,” a PTI report quoted a BCCI source privy to the development as saying on conditions of anonymity.
When asked about his participation in the South Africa ODI series, the source replied: “It is too early to say. If it is three weeks before RTP (Return To Play), then there is a chance that it could be touch and go before November 30.”
After taking a six-month hiatus from red ball cricket owing to back problems, the 30-year-old Iyer is currently a one-format specialist and hasn’t been considered in T20 cricket for a while.
In the just finished series, he scored 61 with a new stance in the second ODI in Adelaide, and is 83 runs short of 3000 runs in ODIs.
In the third ODI, Carey’s misguided cut went as a skier towards third man. Iyer ran back from his position at backward point, maintaining his balance to take a very difficult catch before his left rib cage felt the impact and he thudded onto the ground.
Before being sent to the hospital for preventative scans, team physiotherapist Kamlesh Jain escorted him outside since he was in a lot of agony.
“Shreyas Iyer sustained an injury to his left rib cage while fielding. He has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation and assessment of his injury,” the BCCI had stated in his release.
With an undefeated 121 from Rohit Sharma and an unbeaten 74 from Virat Kohli in a pursuit of 237, India won the dead rubber by nine wickets.
