Reports: India batter Shreyas Iyer doubtful for Asia Cup 2023

India batter Shreyas Iyer is doubtful to take part in the 2023 Asia Cup, which will be contested in August-September. The 28-year-old batter is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

The regular skipper of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) felt uneasy during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at home. The Indian middle-order batter has been ruled out of the remainder of the Australia series and the entire 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a recurrence of a back injury.

Iyer also missed the 2023 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final, which Team India lost by 209 runs, at The Oval, in London, against the Pat Cummins-led side. Notably, he recently underwent back surgery in London. According to a report in the Times of India (TOI), Iyer is unlikely to regain full fitness in time for the continental championship. A reliable source said that the 28-year-old received an injection for his back pain at the NCA, saying that his back is still bothering him.

“Iyer recently took an injection for his back pain at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy. His back is still giving him trouble,” a source told TOI. 

Iyer has been left out of the squad yet again for the West Indies tour due to injury

Shreyas Iyer had previously got ruled out of the ODI series against New Zealand in January 2023, owing to a back issue. Following the final match of the Sri Lanka series earlier this year, he also complained about a tight back. In addition, he was also left out of India's squad for the forthcoming West Indies tour in July.

The middle-order batter has played 10 Tests, 42 ODIs, and 49 T20Is for Team India so far. The Mumbaikkar made his international debut against New Zealand in 2017 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. In the 50-over format, he has amassed 1631 runs at an average of 46.6.