The senior men’s selection committee unveiled the lineup for India’s final three Test matches against England, which will take place on Saturday, February 10, in Rajkot, Ranchi, and Dharamsala. The absence of star batsman Virat Kohli from the team for personal reasons dealt a serious blow to the hosts. Notably, Kohli has prolonged his sabbatical after withdrawing from the first two Test matches for unspecified personal reasons.
In addition to him, the team’s middle-order batsman, Shreyas Iyer, was absent. The 29-year-old, who has only scored 187 runs from 12 innings at an average of 17, had been battling to regain his form in the longest format since 2023. The 29-year-old has gathered 104 runs in the first two Tests’ four innings, but he hasn’t made a half-century in his last 13 innings.
After the second test, Shreyas Iyer allegedly complained of back spasms, although ESPNCricinfo reports that the ailment was not severe enough to force him off the team. In addition, the BCCI omitted information about his injuries from the press release, which clarified that the batter was really dropped because of his bad form.
On his Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur, the right-handed hitter amassed an incredible century (105) and then struck a fantastic 65 in the second inning. His batting prowess earned him the title of Player of the Match as well.
Shreyas Iyer played two years of Test cricket at an average of 56.
Shreyas Iyer scored 624 runs at an average of 56 with one hundred and fifty fifty throughout the first two years of Test cricket. But during the tours of South Africa and England, where he could only muster 34 runs (2 innings) and 41 runs (4 innings), respectively, his technical inadequacies were highlighted.
For the final three Test matches, team management will need to insert a fresh hitter at number four in lieu of Iyer. A fitness clearance will determine whether or not KL Rahul is available for the third Test in Hyderabad, where he batted at number four in the first Test. Sarfaraz Khan, a batter for Mumbai, may make his debut in the third game in Rajkot starting on February 15 if Rahul is unable to recover from his injury.
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