Mumbai: India’s prominent middle-order batsman, Shreyas Iyer, who was initially slated to captain the India A team in their two-match, four-day series against Australia A in Lucknow, will now miss the second unofficial Test. The match is set to commence on Tuesday.
Sources indicate that Iyer informed the selectors of his unavailability and has returned to Mumbai for a break. As a result, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who previously served as Iyer’s deputy, will take over the captaincy. No replacement player will be added to the squad for this match.
This development is significant as Iyer is a strong contender for a middle-order position in India’s upcoming two-Test series against West Indies, which is scheduled to begin on October 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
In the first match of the series, which ultimately ended in a high-scoring draw, Iyer was dismissed for just eight runs off 13 balls, falling leg-before-wicket to off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli. Onlookers at the venue reportedly felt it was an unfavorable decision by the umpire, as the ball appeared to be heading well past the leg stump.
Prior to this series, the 30-year-old had made scores of 25 and 12 for West Zone against Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final held at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
Iyer was a standout performer in India’s victorious ODI Champions Trophy campaign earlier this year (February-March), where he amassed 243 runs in five matches at an impressive average of 48.60, including two half-centuries. However, he was unexpectedly left out of the squad for the ongoing Asia Cup in Dubai.
In other team news, left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed is expected to be replaced by Siraj for the second match. Andhra Pradesh and Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who missed the first game due to a knee injury, is likely to miss the second match as well, still recuperating from his injury.