IND vs AUS: Ravichandran Ashwin Snubs Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma As India's Best Player For Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Comes Up With A Shocking Name

In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Shreyas Iyer would be an important batter for the hosts in Rishabh Pant’s absence.

Due to a back ailment, Shreyas will not play in the opening Test against Australia, which will begin on February 9 in Nagpur. He was also unable to participate in the white-ball series versus New Zealand. The 28-year-old has to stay in rehab for a longer period of time to rehabilitate, according to an ESPNcricinfo report.

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Ravichandran Ashwin Lauds Shreyas Iyer

However, it is anticipated that the middle-order hitter would go with the Indian team for the second Test, which gets off in Delhi on February 17. Ashwin expressed his thoughts on Shreyas’ importance to the Indian red-ball team, particularly with Pant out, on his YouTube channel.

“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.”

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After being involved in a vehicle accident, Pant is expected to miss some time playing cricket. He was one of India’s top batsmen during the previous Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

In fact, during the past few seasons, he has been among the team’s most reliable red-ball hitters. The keeper-batter has 2271 runs, an average of 43.67, five hundreds, and 11 fifties in 33 Tests.

Shreyas Iyer Injury Update

With two half-centuries in three innings, Shreyas was a crucial part of the Indian squad that defeated Bangladesh 2-0 in the Test series in December of last year. In the ensuing 3-0 ODI series victory against Sri Lanka, he made scores of 28, 28, and 38.

After the last ODI, the 28-year-old complained of a sore back and was disqualified from the white-ball series against New Zealand. He was instructed to travel to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical staff as a preventative step.

In Kanpur, India, in November 2021, the Mumbai batter had an enduring Test debut against New Zealand, scoring 105 and 65. As a result, he made 150 in his maiden Test match, becoming the first Indian player to do so. He has 624 runs, an average of 56.72, one century, and five fifty-pluses in seven Test matches.

Shubman Gill or Suryakumar Yadav might fill one of the middle-order positions in Shreyas’ absence.

Also Read: IND vs NZ: “Ishan Kishan Would Be A Little Disappointed With His Performances”- Wasim Jaffer

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah