Shreyas Iyer unlikely to feature in 1st Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test; Suryakumar Yadav in line to make debut - Reports 

Team India batter Shreyas Iyer will reportedly not recover in time from his back injury for the first Test against Australia in Nagpur, which begins on February 9. Fellow middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav could make his Test debut to fill the vacant No. 5 spot in the batting unit.

Shreyas sustained a back injury which ruled him out of the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand. He was asked to report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to begin the rehabilitation program.

Despite taking injections, the issue is far from resolved as the Mumbai-born player is still suffering from back pain. A source told the Indian Express:

“His injury hasn’t healed as expected and he will take two weeks at least to play cricket again. He will certainly not be available for the first Test and his availability for the second Test will be subject to his fitness report."

The medical staff at the NCA have recommended that Shreyas rest for two more weeks, which puts him in doubt for the second Test in Delhi as well.

Team India are primed to begin preparations for the series with a camp in Nagpur, starting on Thursday, February 2. Shreyas is likely to join the squad later and continue rehab at the NCA for the time being.

On the injury front, the Men in Blue have an optimistic update surrounding all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. He is expected to feature in the pre-series camp and will report like the rest of the squad on Thursday.

The left-arm spinner featured for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai to prove his match fitness. He picked up 7-42 in the second innings, helping his state qualify for the knockouts.

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Shreyas Iyer is a pivotal presence in the middle order for Team India

Shreyas Iyer, who is arguably yet to put a foot wrong in his red-ball career so far, has been a vital part of Team India's Test playing XI. He was exceptional against spinners in the series win over Bangladesh in December 2022, and with spin once again set to be the focal point of the upcoming series against Australia, he was expected to play a key role.

His absence paves the way for Suryakumar Yadav, the No.1-ranked T20I batter in the world. His selection in the squad over the in-form Sarfaraz Khan was met with criticism. Suryakumar potentially now has the chance to prove his mettle right away.

Team India squad for first two Tests against Australia

Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.

Who will win the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the four Tests? Let us know what you think.

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