The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on September 25 released a statement confirming that Shreyas Iyer has asked for a six-month breaking from red-ball cricket due to recurring back issues.
“Mr Shreyas Iyer has informed the BCCI of his decision to take a six-month break from red-ball cricket. Having undergone back surgery in the UK and managed his recovery well, he has recently experienced recurring back spasms and stiffness while playing the longer format. He wishes to utilise this period to build endurance, body resilience and work on his fitness. In view of his decision, he was not considered for selection for the Irani Cup,” the BCCI said in a statement.
Iyer was no considered for the Irani Cup and Rajat Patidar was named captain of Rest of India squad. He won't be considered for his Test return either and won't feature in the Test series at home against West Indies and South Africa.
Iyer left the India A squad before the start of second unofficial Test against Australia A and informed the BCCI about his situation. In his absence, Dhruv Jurel is leading India A in the second multi-day game.
Meanwhile, Shreyas replaced Patidar and Tilak Varma as captain of India A squad for the One-Day series. Earlier, Patidar was captain for the first game and Varma was set to lead in the second and third game.
India A squad for 1st one-day match:
Shreyas Iyer (c), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (wk), Priyansh Arya, Simarjeet Singh.
India A squad for 2nd and 3rd one-day matches:
Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (wk), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh.