SHREYAS Iyer, who had missed out the last two days of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy finals citing back issues, has been declared fit to play the IPL but with a rider. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, who joined the IPL franchise, has been advised that he can’t lunge too much while playing the forward defense as this could aggravate his injury.
Iyer visited a spine specialist in Mumbai after consultation with the National Cricket Academy (NCA) Bangalore and the doctor has declared him fit to play with the precaution that he needs to be cautious while stretching his leg.
“He is fit to play, a specialist spine doctor was consulted in Mumbai who has advised him not to stretch his leg too forward while defending the ball. He has joined IPL franchise KKR and he can play,” a source in the Indian board informed.
Iyer had missed Ranji Trophy quarter-finals but he played semis and final for Mumbai recently. He slammed 95 in the second innings in the final but didn’t turn up for fielding after he experienced back pain again. The MCA medical team decided to get an MRI done and his report was sent to NCA for further updates.
Iyer had complained of back pain after the second Test match between India vs England. However, NCA had declared him fit, even after his stating he was undergoing pain. Iyer was dropped from Test games thereafter and was asked to play Ranji Trophy. He missed Mumbai’s quarter-finals and it was then that BCCI secretary Jay Shah issued a letter to all contracted players stating domestic cricket remains a “critical yardstick for selection” to the national team.
