India national cricket team’s star batsman and ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer has suffered a major blow as his return to competitive cricket has been delayed, TOI reported on Tuesday, December 30.
Doctors at the Center of Excellence (CoE) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have refused to give clearance to Shreyas Iyer to return from injury.
Shreyas Iyer’s comeback plan dashed!
Iyer was out for a long time after suffering an injury during India 2025’s tour of Australia, which included a three-match ODI series and a five-match T20I series.
The right-handed batsman is working hard for his comeback and is regularly training in the gym and at the nets. He visited the BCCI Center of Excellence (CoE) on December 25 and went through several fielding, batting and fitness exercises.
It was expected that the batsman would be cleared by the BCCI medical team on 30 December to leave the facility and return to competitive cricket, but this did not happen.
His return has been delayed by at least a week and he has been asked to stay in the CoE. The main reason behind Iyer not getting Return to Play (RTP) is his rapid weight loss.
Shreyas Iyer lost 6 kg weight
Iyer’s stomach injury was serious and due to this the batsman lost about 6 kilograms in weight. Although he has managed to gain some weight, the decline in his muscle mass has pushed his strength below optimal levels.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer has not faced any concerns while batting and his weight and strength issues will be addressed in the coming week.
“There are no problems with his batting, but he has lost about six kilograms since his injury in Australia. Although he has regained some of the weight, there has been a decline in muscle mass, which has further affected his peak strength levels.”
“The medical team will not take any risks as he is a very important player in the ODI team and his complete recovery is of utmost importance right now. The selectors and management will be briefed about his current condition before picking the squad for the New Zealand ODIs,” a BCCI official told TOI.
Shreyas Iyer is unlikely to play in New Zealand ODI
Earlier, news had come that Iyer would return to international cricket from the ODI series against New Zealand. The three-match ODI series between India and New Zealand will be played on January 11, 14 and 18 in Vadodara, Rajkot and Indore.
“There were a lot of positive developments as he batted in Mumbai, went to the CoE and was motivating himself to play in the New Zealand ODIs. There were also indications of him playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches on January 3 and 6, but now we have been told that he needs more time and will be available only from the knockout stage of the tournament,” an MCA official tracking the developments told TOI.
However, Iyer will only be cleared by the BCCI medical team at the COE on January 9, and is unlikely to feature in the New Zealand ODI series. Instead, he may feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy knockouts.
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