After Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer Decides To Skip Ranji Trophy; NCA Says He Is Fit But Batter Complains Of Back Pain

BCCI secretary Jay Shah had warned centrally-contracted players to make red-ball domestic cricket tournaments their priority. A few days later, Shreyas Iyer decided to skip Ranji Trophy clash.

Shreyas Iyer. (Image: ANI)

After Shreyas Iyer was dropped from the India squad for the remaining three Tests at home vs England, he has decided to skip even the Ranji Trophy, which is country's elite-level red-ball tournament. As per India Express, Iyer has told the Mumbai Cricket Association that he is not fit and is currently having back pain. He ruled himself out of the quarterfinal clash vs Baroda which starts on Friday. However, Nitin Patel, who is the head of sports science and medicine and the National Cricket Academy (NCA), wrote to BCCI selectors, telling them that Iyer was totally fine and there are no injury concerns with him.

"Shreyas Iyer was fit and available for selection as per the handover report of the Indian team after the 2nd Test match against England. There are currently no fresh injuries reported as well after his departure from Team India," read the mail, reported Indian Express.

Not to forget that only last week did Jay Shah, BCCI secretary, warned the centrally-contracted as well as India A cricketers of 'severe implications' if they did not give domestic cricket a priority. The mail, possisbly, was written after Ishan Kishan's alleged disciplinary issues as the wicketkeeper and batter had left Team India citing mental health break and then continued to skip playing Ranji Trophy for his state side Jharkhand.

"There is a recent trend that has started to emerge and is a cause for concern. Some players have begun prioritising the IPL over domestic cricket, a shift that was not anticipated. Domestic cricket has always been the foundation upon which Indian cricket stands, and it has never been undervalued in our vision for the sport,” Jay Shah's letter read.

Shreyas had had a tough time with Team India in red-ball cricket and the selectors reportedly asked him to play Ranji Trophy so that his body gets used to batting for a long time. Iyer made 35,13, 27 and 39 in the four innings he batted across the two Tests which led to his ouster.

With IPL approaching, some players may want to give themselves a break. Iyer had missed out on entire IPL last time due to injury. It could be a case of him deciding to give body ample amount of rest before the two-month long tournament starts at end of March. The T20 World Cup 2024 also starts only a few days later after the conclusion of IPL. Iyer is definitely targetting a spot in the T20I squad.