With his return to the nets and his report to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Centre of Excellence ahead of the New Zealand series, which starts on November 11, Shreyas Iyer appears to be getting closer to making a comeback to the Indian squad. Since rupturing his spleen while fielding during the third ODI against Australia at the SCG in October of this year, Shreyas has been out of the squad.
Since then, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been batting at his No. 4 position while the India ODI vice-captain has missed the series against South Africa. The Mumbai batsman posted a video of himself batting in the nets at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) and a photo of himself at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru on his Instagram stories.
Shreyas was seen playing some elegant shots and performing some light work inside the nets in the video. Interestingly, Shreyas was wearing protective gear over the area where he had sustained the injury during the series against Australia in the video posted on his Instagram stories.
The second week of December was when Shreyas was supposed to get his next ultrasound. After visiting a specialist regarding the scan results, he was scheduled to start his rehabilitation program at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru.
Shreyas had already had an ultrasonography (USG) scan near his home, and renowned sports medicine specialist Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala analyzed the results. The evaluation showed that his condition was steadily improving.
He was given the all-clear to begin regular daily activities and simple isometric workouts based on that examination.
With the emphasis squarely on ensuring a gradual and thorough rehabilitation, it seems doubtful that Shreyas will be available for selection in the forthcoming ODI series against New Zealand given the current rate of his recovery. Following his tenure at the BCCI CoE, Shreyas’ participation in the Vijay Hazare trophy will also be approved.
