In a major setback for India, ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer’s return to competitive cricket has been delayed after the batter failed to receive the required clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE). As per the original plan, Iyer was expected to check out of the facility on December 30 but will now be spending at least a week more to get the Return to Play (RTP). While he continues to bat without any discomfort, the rapid weight loss due to the abdominal injury has pushed his strength below the optimum levels and a lot of attention will be paid on that in the coming week.Iyer has lost around 6 kgs due to the injury and while he has regained some of it, the drop in muscle mass has pushed his strength below optimum levels.
“There is no problem with his batting but he lost around six kgs after the injury in Australia. While he has regained some weight, there has been a drop in muscle mass which has further affected his optimum strength levels. The medical team will not be taking any chances because he is a very important player in the ODI set up and his complete recovery is of utmost importance right now. The selectors and management will be conveyed about his present situation before they meet to pick team for New Zealand ODIs,” a BCCI official tells TimesofIndia.com.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!As TimesofIndia.com had earlier reported, the right-hander was set to feature in the games on January 3 and 6 before the start of three-match ODI series in Vadodara on January 11 but there will be a late alteration as the right-hander is now expected to get the necessary clearances only by January 9 – two days before the New Zealand series starts and three days before knockouts of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. “There were a lot of positive developments as he batted in Mumbai, went to CoE and was pushing himself to feature in the New Zealand ODIs. There were indications of him playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches on January 3 and 6 too but we have now been told that he needs more time and will only be available from the knockout stages of the tournament,” a MCA official tracking developments tells TimesofIndia.com.
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Iyer had already resumed training and regular gym work, and even had a hit in the nets a day before heading to the CoE on December 25. He spent six days undergoing numerous fielding, batting and fitness drills at the facility, and will continue to be there for more fitness work.The Vijay Hazare Trophy knockouts are scheduled from January 12 – a day after India play the first ODI vs New Zealand – and Iyer is now unlikely to make the cut for the last ODI bilateral before focus shifts to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in the months of February and March.