As India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, unveiled the lineup for the Asia Cup Super 4 clash against Pakistan, it was evident that Shreyas Iyer was notably absent from the team due to an apparent injury. Reports suggested that Iyer had suffered from back spasms, leading to his omission. Ishan Kishan retained his spot in the squad, and KL Rahul stepped in as a replacement for Iyer.
Former India cricket stars, Harbhajan Singh and Sunil Gavaskar, expressed significant concerns regarding Iyer’s absence, particularly given his extended period on the sidelines due to injuries this year. Gavaskar emphasized that Iyer’s recurrent injuries are indeed a cause for worry, despite the current injury not appearing to be long-term. However, he did highlight the silver lining that ICC regulations allow teams to make changes to their World Cup squads in case a player becomes unavailable.
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“It’s a worry definitely. If a player is out for 5-6 months due to an injury and then has it again with a month before the World Cup, so yes it is an area of concern. Luckily, you can make changes in your World Cup team, and in case he is unfit and doesn’t recover then there will be somebody who will replace him. It is sad because he looked good in that match against Pakistan. He played a lovely cover drive,” Gavaskar said on Sports Today.
In response to Shreyas Iyer’s absence, Harbhajan Singh made a striking statement, hinting that it might be a strategic move by the team management to make room for KL Rahul in the playing XI. Bhajji also raised concerns about the National Cricket Academy’s physiotherapy support, questioning the frequency of player injuries and their rehabilitation processes.
“Injuries are part and parcel of the game. But getting injured that often is either bad luck or you are making a position for KL Rahul. I think getting injured at this point in time is going to hurt his position in the team as well and make things correct for KL Rahul. It is very worrying that players are getting injured again and again and it is mostly to do with the kind of training they do. So that is the question NCA needs to answer because that is where players go and rehabilitate and train themselves. And what KL Rahul brings to this table is stability in the batting line-up,” Bhajji said.