Shreyas Iyer's back stiffness raises concerns ahead of squad announcement for Australia series

Shreyas Iyer’s back issues have raised concerns in the Indian cricketing circle as we inch closer to the ODI World Cup which starts on 5 October and will be played in India. The Mumbai batter made a comeback in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 after back surgery for a stress fracture and a long injury lay-off. He played against Pakistan and Nepal in the group stage but pulled out from the Super Four game against arch-rival Pakistan at the last minute due to back spasms . It has been reported that his back injury is not very serious but there’s no clarity if he will be available for the Bangladesh game on Friday. Asia Cup 2023: Injury-hit Pakistan face spirited Sri Lanka in virtual semis Meanwhile, the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee is also expected to announce the squad for the three-match series against Australia sometime during the ongoing week and Iyer’s back injury could be a hot topic in the meeting. As per the news agency PTI, there’s “some amount of stiffness” in Iyer’s back. There will be more clarity on Thursday as Team India is scheduled for an optional training ahead of the Super Four match against Bangladesh. Asia Cup 2023: India vs Pakistan final hinges on Sri Lanka and rain In case Iyer is not 100% fit and he misses the Australia series then he would enter the World Cup without much match practice. India are scheduled to play two warm-up games before their World Cup campaign starts on 8 October in Chennai against Australia. With Ishan Kishan proving his worth by scoring crucial runs and KL Rahul proving his fitness with 139 runs across two Super Four games, it would be interesting to see who Iyer replaces in the playing XI in case the batter is fit for the Bangladesh game. In case Iyer continues to face back issues, left-handed batter Tilak Verma who is with the squad in the Asia Cup could be his replacement going forward as well. However, 27 September is the date to announce the final World Cup squad, and India will hope for Iyer to be fit by then. Meanwhile, it has also been reported that Sanju Samson who was with the team as a reserve has returned home.