A day after Test-capped Shreyas Iyer informed the Mumbai Cricket Association that he was not available for selection for the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, Nitin Patel, the head of sports science and medicine at the National Cricket Academy, in an email to selectors, confirmed that there was ‘no fresh injury’ reports and he was ‘fit’.
According to Mumbai Cricket Association sources, Shreyas Iyer had cited back pain as a reason for sitting out of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal game versus Baroda, which begins on Friday. But Patel in his email, which was seen by The Indian Express, wrote: “Shreyas Iyer was fit and available for selection as per the handover report of the Indian team after the 2nd Test match against England. There are currently no fresh injuries reported as well after his departure from Team India.”
Last week BCCI secretary Jay Shah had warned centrally-contracted and India A cricketers that non-participation in domestic cricket would have ‘severe implications’. Wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan, who pulled out of the Test tour of South Africa citing ‘personal reasons’ did not play Jharkhand’s final group game against Rajasthan.
The national selectors, after taking inputs from the BCCI medical team, told Shreyas to play Ranji Trophy so that his back gets used to the strain of batting and being on the field for an extended period of time.
Shreyas Iyer’s scores in first 2 IND vs ENG Tests
Shreyas scored 35, 13, 27 and 39 in the first two Tests against England. He was dropped when the squad was announced for the last three Test matches. The Indian Express understands that Shreyas had complained of back spasms during the second Test.
Shreyas had missed last year’s IPL because of a back injury and made a comeback during the Asia Cup before scoring 530 runs in the World Cup at home at an average of 66.25.
Last Friday, BCCI secretary Shah in a letter to top cricketers said that domestic cricket remains a “critical yardstick for selection” to the national team.
The reason for the communication, according to the letter, was “the concerning trend of players prioritising the IPL over domestic red-ball cricket”. “There is a recent trend that has started to emerge and is a cause for concern. Some players have begun prioritising the IPL over domestic cricket, a shift that was not anticipated. Domestic cricket has always been the foundation upon which Indian cricket stands, and it has never been undervalued in our vision for the sport,” Shah said in the letter.
He also said that “domestic cricket forms the backbone of Indian cricket and serves as the feeder line to Team India”.
“Our vision for Indian cricket has been clear from the outset – every cricketer aspiring to play for India must prove themselves in domestic cricket. Performance in domestic cricket remains a critical yardstick for selection and non-participation in domestic cricket will carry severe implications,” wrote the BCCI secretary.
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