Team India suffered a major setback even before the West Indies series. Just a few hours before the start of the second Test against the Australia A team, Shreyas Iyer suddenly stepped down from leadership. He also withdrew from the squad and returned to Mumbai.
Speculation was growing about why Shreyas made this decision. Now, the reason has come to light. And hearing it, Indian cricket fans are left stunned. Shreyas Iyer has requested a break from red-ball cricket for the time being. He is unable to endure the physical strain of playing continuously for four to five days. Reports say that Shreyas has also written a letter to the BCCI regarding this, requesting not to be included in the squad for the upcoming West Indies series. This raises questions about his Test career.
Shreyas did not get a chance in the series against England, and criticism erupted. As a result, he was selected to captain India against Australia A in order to give him a chance to return to the national squad. Even though he participated in the first Test, he resigned before the second game began. He spoke with Ajit Agarkar's selection committee before writing a letter to the BCCI.
According to reports, he informed the selectors that due to back problems, he is currently unable to handle the physical toll of red-ball cricket. He is not in a condition to field continuously for four to five days. Hence, the star cricketer wishes to take a break from red-ball cricket until this issue is fully resolved.
Shreyas further told the selectors that he had faced this problem last year as well. At that time, during the Ranji Trophy, he managed to play by taking short breaks between overs. But such a thing is not possible in matches at the India A level or international level. Therefore, he does not want to take any risks.
Sources from the board said that Shreyas has informed officials about his decision to take a break. He has clearly communicated about his future in red-ball cricket. He will not play red-ball cricket for the next few months. He will decide to return only after consulting with physiotherapists and trainers to ensure he is fully fit for Test cricket. Shreyas has suffered from back problems before as well. Last year, after being left out of the home Test series against England, he underwent a check-up.
However, this decision now casts uncertainty over his Test cricket career. It is confirmed that he will not play in the Test series against the West Indies. There is also uncertainty about whether he will play in the home Test series against South Africa in November. Experts believe that he will not be seen playing in this season’s Ranji Trophy, even for Mumbai in domestic cricket.
However, he has stated that he will play limited-overs cricket. Selectors may include him in the ODI squad against Australia in October. He had been in excellent form during the Champions Trophy. He may also get a call for the T20 squad overseas. But the question of when he will return to red-ball cricket remains.