India's newly appointed ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer could not be able to return to play for at least three weeks after he injured his left rib cage in the third ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. In the process of falling to a sharp catch to dismiss Alex Carey off Harshit Rana’s bowling, the 30-year-old Iyer sustained an injury. After the match, he was taken to a hospital to undergo a scan. The question of whether or not he will be there for the ODI series against South Africa, which is going to be held in Ranchi from November 30, is now indeterminate.
Scans awaited as Shreyas Iyer faces a race against time for South Africa ODIs
A BCCI source revealed that initial scans suggest a jerk injury, but a hairline fracture cannot be ruled out until detailed reports are received. “He will be out of action for a minimum of three weeks. Once back, he’ll report to the Centre of Excellence. If there’s a fracture, the recovery could take longer,” the source told PTI.
When asked about Iyer’s chances of returning for the South Africa series, the source added, “It’s too early to confirm. If his RTP (Return To Play) timeline is three weeks, it’ll be a tight call before November 30.”
Iyer's injury is a bad timing as he was only playing limited overs cricket and was focusing on ODI matches. He had taken a six-month break from red-ball cricket due to a back issue. He made 61 in the second ODI in Adelaide and looked very good.
Shreyas Iyer was running back from point to try and take a difficult catch off a slash that Carey had obviously messed up. After catching it cleanly, he hit his left side of the ribs on the ground awkwardly and, as soon as he took the catch, he showed a grimace of pain. BCCI confirmed later that he went to the hospital for a check-up.
India won the game at the end by nine wickets. Rohit Sharma scored an unbeaten 121 and Virat Kohli 74 to guide the team to the target of 237 and thus save themselves from a series whitewash.
