India’s middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer is set to join the squad for the second Test against Australia in Delhi after successfully recovering from his back injury, according to a statement released by the BCCI.
“India batter Shreyas Iyer has successfully completed his rehab at the National Cricket Academy following his back injury and has been cleared by the BCCI Medical Team.”
“Shreyas will join the squad in New Delhi ahead of the second Test of the Mastercard Australia tour of India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” the BCCI said.
The Indian team is leading 1-0 in the four-match series, and the second Test will begin on Friday.
However, it is uncertain whether Iyer will be included in the playing eleven.
Iyer hasn’t played any competitive cricket in a month and may face physical challenges such as fielding for long hours and batting for extended periods.
In other news, the Australian men’s cricket team has arrived in Delhi for the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
The first Test ended in just two sessions of play, with India winning by an innings and 132 runs in Nagpur.
Ravindra Jadeja led the bowling as he picked up his 11th five-wicket haul in Test cricket, returning after a period of 5 months due to injury.
Ravichandran Ashwin had his spell on the Aussies in the 2nd innings, picking up his 31st 5-fer and restricting the Kangaroos below the 100-run mark.
Jadeja and Ashwin combined took a total of 15 out of 20 Australian wickets.Â
Ravindra Jadeja was declared the Player of the Match for his exceptional bowling figures of 7-81 and 70 runs with the bat.
This victory has narrowed the gap between India and Australia in the World Test Championship standings, with India’s point percentage increasing to 61.67% and Australia’s dropping to 70.83%.
Australia currently leads the ICC World Test Championship standings and needs to avoid a 4-0 whitewash to India to ensure qualification for the World Test Championship final at The Oval in June.
The second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is expected to be played in front of a packed house in Delhi, with tickets for the match already sold out.
Delhi is hosting its first Test since December 2017, and there is significant interest in the match being played after a long hiatus.
“The tickets are sold out and we are expecting a full house. There is a lot of interest since a Test match is being played in Delhi after a long time,” DDCA joint secretary Rajan Manchanda said on Tuesday.
India’s squad for second Test: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav
