NEW DELHI: In a significant development, India ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer resumed batting in Mumbai on December 24 after fully recovering from the spleen injury he suffered while diving in the third ODI against Australia in October, TimesofIndia.com reported.
The report further added that Iyer, who is now headed to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, felt no discomfort as he spent close to an hour batting. Iyer is expected to return to competitive cricket in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after missing the entire Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the ODI series against South Africa.
"Shreyas Iyer had a very unfortunate injury in Australia and it made him miss a lot of competitive cricket. The good sign is that he is pain free at the moment and batted without any trouble in Mumbai on Wednesday. India next play New Zealand and while that could still be touch and go, a return in the later stages of Vijay Hazare Trophy can't be ruled out at this stage," BCCI official told TOI.
Iyer is expected to spend around four to six days at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where greater clarity on his return timeline is likely to emerge. The batter has already resumed full gym and fitness routines, and post-injury scans and evaluations have revealed no cause for concern.
"He is already back to regular training in the gym. So no red flags there at the moment but all depends on the CoE assessment. He will be there for anywhere between four to six days. Like with every player, he won't be rushed back but efforts will be directed towards his speedy return," official added.
India's next ODI series begins against New Zealand from January 11, with the squad for the series expected to be named in the first week of January. While Iyer's availability for those matches remains uncertain at this point, his inclusion cannot be ruled out entirely.
