With Shreyas Iyer out of Team India's Super 4 clash against Pakistan on Sunday at R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo due to back spasm, fans have been left confused. At the toss, captain Rohit Sharma announced that the right-handed batter has back spasm and KL Rahul's return. While certain fans have been left confused, others concerned as the 2023 World Cup is fast approaching.
Iyer made his much-awaited return from back injury to the national team against Pakistan in first-round clash in Kandy. He hit 3 boundaries in an enterprising innings of 14 before a short-pitched delivery from Haris Rauf got the better of him. The 28-year-old sustained a back injury during the four-Test series against Australia and missed IPL 2023, World Test Championship Final and a few more series following that.
Iyer has undoubtedly been the mainstay for India in ODIs at No.4. In 21 innings at that spot, the Mumbai-born cricketer has made 819 runs at 45.50 along with 5 half-centuries and a couple of tons. Hence, fans are worried about whether his back injury has returned and would impact his chances of playing in the showpiece event, beginning on October 5th.
Pakistan win the toss and put India into bat:
Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and have elected to field first. The Men in Green retained the same playing XI that beat Bangladesh in their first Super 4 clash. Aside from bringing in KL Rahul, India also brought back Jasprit Bumrah for Mohammed Shami.
Here's how fans have reacted to Shreyas Iyer's back injury ahead of the critical game:
