Shreyas Iyer’s Participation In Asia Cup 2023 In Doubt, KL Rahul Set To Return To Take Up Wicket-keeping Duties – Reports

Shreyas Iyer, the star Indian middle-order batsman who has been sidelined since March 2023, could miss out on a spot in the Indian team for the next Asia Cup 2023.

The 28-year-old right-handed hitter, who has played at No. 4 for India in 20 of the 38 ODI innings thus far, underwent back surgery earlier this year and has yet to fully recover, potentially ruling him out of India's Asia Cup Squads.

The BCCI will reveal India's Team for the Asia Cup 2023 on Sunday (August 20), according to a report in The Times of India, since they are willing to wait until the last minute to make a definitive decision on Iyer's availability.

According to the information available, while KL Rahul, who underwent surgery in May, is fit and likely to be selected, the same cannot be said for Iyer, which is why India is delaying the squad announcement to gain a clearer picture of the players' fitness.

"Rahul is generally fit and is keeping wickets, while Shreyas Iyer (who had back surgery) is still not fully recovered." Both have participated in match simulations at Bangalore's National Cricket Academy and will play a practise match soon.

The fitness of the players who have returned from the West Indies tour will be evaluated by the team and the NCA's physios. As a result, the team's announcement has been delayed," a source told TOI.

If Iyer is ruled out, 20-year-old Tilak Varma, who impressed with his batting in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies last week, could be called up.

The youngster is a left-handed batter with good batting technique, making him an ideal contender to replace Iyer in the middle order if he does not recover in time.