4th Test, Day 5: Shreyas Iyer ruled out of ongoing Ahmedabad Test against Australia

Ahmedabad, Mar 13, 2023, IANS

India's middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the ongoing fourth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad due to lower back injury.

Ahead of the start of day five's play on Monday, the BCCI said in a statement, "Shreyas Iyer will take no further part in this Test. A specialist opinion will be sought."

Earlier, during day four's play on Sunday, Iyer did not come out to bat, with the BCCI saying that he had gone for scans after the right-handed batter complained of pain in his lower back following the third day's play and the medical team monitoring him.

With Iyer being unavailable to bat, India finished on 571 in 178.5 overs with a lead of 91 runs over Australia. Talismanic batter Virat Kohli scored a magnificent 186, while Shubman Gill played a sparkling knock of 128.

The lower back injury had kept Iyer out of the first Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Nagpur, as well as the three-match ODI series against New Zealand in January this year and the subsequent T20I series.

After the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, India will play Australia in a three-match ODI series starting from Mumbai, which is also Iyer's hometown, on March 17. Being out of the final Test in Ahmedabad due to lower back pain means Iyer is now a doubtful starter for the ODI series against Australia.

Iyer is also the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which starts from March 31. Kolkata are scheduled to play their first match of the tournament on April 1, against Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab Kings in Mohali.