Revealed: Shreyas Iyer’s shocking letter to BCCI explains his exit from second unofficial Test vs Australia A

India's middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who recently led India A in the first unofficial Test against Australia A, has ruled himself out of the second match of the series. Following his withdrawal, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel was named captain for the final unofficial Test.

The Indian Express reported that Iyer has written to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), formally requesting a break from red-ball cricket. The decision stems from ongoing stiffness and fatigue issues in his back. It is understood that after consulting with the national selectors and selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar, Iyer chose to make his request official through an email to the board.

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The Indian Express also reported that the middle-order batter informed the selectors that he is facing stiffness in his back and his body cannot take the toll of the red ball cricket anymore. It is learnt that Iyer can’t be on the field for more than four days and as a reason, he is thinking of taking a break until his body allows him to play longer format. Iyer informed the board that he played a Ranji Trophy game last year, where he managed to take a break in between the overs; however, he cannot do the same for India A or while playing Test cricket.

“He has informed us that he (Iyer) will be taking a break from red ball cricket and it’s good that he has cleared it out because selectors are now clear about his future. He won’t be playing red ball cricket in coming months and he has informed the board that he will assess his body in future in consultation with physios and trainer and take a call on it,” a source confirmed as quoted by Indian Express.

The report further stated that Iyer was in contention for two Test match series against West Indies, which will start from October 02. In order to get some match practice, the selectors had named him the captain of India A for two four-day game series against Australia A.

Iyer, who captained Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and led the franchise to the finals, was ignored for the Suryakumar Yadav-led Asia Cup squad. After witnessing his heroics in the IPL, there were speculations that he would travel to Dubai for the mega event.