Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of Mumbai’s quarterfinals match against Baroda in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 on 23rd February 2024 due to a back spasm.
Iyer’s long-standing problem with his back continues to persist as he is set to miss Mumbai’s important Ranji clash after being dropped from the Indian squad for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Test against England.
Iyer was part of the Indian team that played the first two Tests against England. His scores in the four innings read 35, 13, 27, and 29.
“He [Shreyas Iyer] has told Mumbai’s team management that he is unfit,” a Mumbai Cricket Association source told TOI.
“He had told the Indian team management and the selectors that he got a back ache after batting for 30-40 minutes. He needs some to recover from it,” the newspaper quoted a BCCI official as saying.
Shreyas Iyer missed the entire season of the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League due to a back injury. He came back in the Asia Cup 2023 and subsequently played in the 2023 World Cup.
The Indian batter had a great outing at the perennial tournament, smashing 530 runs, including two centuries and three half-centuries. He was also part of the Test series against South Africa and then played against England. However, the Mumbai batter couldn’t impress much with the bat while batting in the middle order for the Test team.
According to reports, the selectors dropped him for the remaining three Tests against England. Iyer has now made himself unavailable for the upcoming Ranji clash as he recovers from his back issues. IPL 2024 is slated to start on 22nd March and the KKR skipper would be keen to stay for the entirety of the tournament and stake a claim in the T20 World Cup squad.
Shivam Dube Also Ruled Out of Ranji Trophy Quarterfinals
In another big setback for the Mumbai team, big hitter Shivam Dube has also been ruled out of the clash against Baroda. The tall hitter picked up an injury during Mumbai’s last league stage match against Assam and, thus, has been ruled out of the quarter-final clash.
Dube has shown sensational form with the bat in the tournament. The southpaw has scored two centuries and two half-centuries in six innings played this season. He has scored runs at an average of 67.83 while striking at 82.38.
Meanwhile, Musheer Khan, who impressed one and all with his batting exploits in the recently concluded under-19 World Cup, has been added to Mumbai’s 16-man squad for the knockout clash. The team will continue to be led by Ajinkya Rahane, while the likes of Shardul Thakur, Prithvi Shaw, and Dhawal Kulkarni will also be making their presence felt.
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