NCA declares Shreyas Iyer fit a day after he made himself unavailable for the upcoming Ranji Trophy quarter-final clash citing back pain

Star Indian batter Shreyas Iyer has found himself in the spotlight after opting out of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy quarter-final game against Baroda, citing back spasms. However, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) has now clarified that Iyer is completely fit and not suffering from any fresh injuries.

Notably, after failing to prove himself in the Indian team in the first two Test matches against England, Iyer was dropped from the squad, with Sarfaraz Khan replacing him. He was expected to play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy to get back into the national team but interestingly, the batter opted out citing medical reasons. However, in an email to the selectors, Nitin Patel, the Head of Sports Science and Sports Medicine at the NCA, confirmed that there were no new injuries reported after Iyer’s departure from the national team. 

Also read: Jay Shah's no-nonsense directive to centrally contracted players regarding domestic cricket

“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,” Patel wrote in his email according to an NDTV report.

The situation surrounding Iyer’s absence highlights the recent directive from BCCI Secretary Jay Shah. After Ishan Kishan opted out of the Ranji Trophy, the 35-year-old emphasised that all centrally contracted cricketers must participate in red-ball cricket in the domestic circuit. However, Kishan didn’t join his state team for the final league game and now, Iyer refused to participate in Mumbai’s quarter-final clash.

Also read: Jay Shah warns top stars of severe implications if they miss domestic red-ball games

“All contracted players have been told on phone and I'll be writing to them too. If chairman of selectors, coach & captain want you to play red-ball cricket, then you gotta play. ‘Nakhre Nahi Chalenge' (no tantrums). And as far as Ishan Kishan is concerned, he is young, I am not saying this specifically about him as it will be applicable for all the players uniformly,” Shah previously stated.

Meanwhile, Iyer is yet to comment on Patel’s mail to BCCI. In case he still opts out of the Ranji Trophy game, his BCCI contract might get affected.