Ravichandran Ashwin names India’s key batter in absence of Rishabh Pant for Australia Test series

Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer is reportedly ruled out of the opening Test against Australia, which will begin on February 9 in Nagpur, due to a back ailment. He was also unable to participate in the white-ball series versus New Zealand. The 28-year-old was asked to go to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for rehab, according to an ESPNcricinfo report. Despite having the treatment, Iyer is not fully recovered from the injury. After this, the NCA advised Iyer to rest for at least two more weeks.

Indian team’s allrounder Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Iyer would be an important batter for the hosts in the absence of wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He said that Iyer is the backbone of the Indian Test batting order. He is expected to join the squad for the second Test match which will begin on February 17.

“Shreyas Iyer has been India’s go-to Test batter alongside Rishabh Pant in the last couple of years. That in itself is a lesser compliment for him. He has been the backbone of this batting order. He is going to be a crucial player for India in Pant’s absence,” Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel.

Suryakumar Yadav likely to replace Iyer in the first Test

The Mumbai batter had an enduring Test debut against New Zealand in November 2021 in Kanpur. He scored 105 and 65 runs in the first and second innings, respectively. As a result, he made 170 in his maiden Test match and became the first Indian player to get to this feat. He has scored 624 runs with an average of 56.72, which included one century, and five fifty-pluses in seven Test matches he played so far.

Iyer was a crucial part of the Indian squad that defeated Bangladesh 2-0 in the Test series in December 2022. Meanwhile, in his absence, Indian star and no.1 ranked T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav may get a chance to make his Test debut in the first match. Suryakumar has been included in the team for the first two Test matches against Australia. He has been selected for the Test squad for the first time.