Why KS Bharat walked out to bat ahead of Shreyas Iyer on Day 4 of Ahmedabad Test

Indian wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat walked out to bat ahead of Shreyas Iyer on Day 4 of the Ahmedabad Test against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, March 12. After Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed for 28, Shreyas was slotted in to come in at the No. 6 position. However, to the surprise of Indian fans, it was Bharat who strutted out

Sharing an update on Shreyas, media reports quoted BCCI as saying that he complained of pain in his lower back following the third day's play against Australia. He has thus been taken for scans and the BCCI medical team is monitoring him.

Meanwhile, resuming their second innings at 289/3, India went to lunch on Day 4 at 362/4. Kohli, who was unbeaten on 59 overnight, was batting on 88 off 220 balls and Bharat on 25 off 70. The duo added 53* for the fifth wicket after Jadeja’s departure. India still trail Australia by 118 runs on the first innings.

Bharat was under pressure to retain his place in the team after some disappointing performances with the bat in the first three Tests. However, the team management has retained its faith in him.

Jadeja, who was batting on 16 at stumps on Day 3 of the Ahmedabad Test, was dismissed for 28 in disappointing fashion. He was caught at mid-on while trying to take on Australian off-spinner Todd Murphy. The left-hander struck two fours and a six in his 84-ball knock.

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Shreyas Iyer has been troubled by a dodgy back

When Jadeja came out to bat ahead of Shreyas on Day 3 of the ongoing Test against Australia, many experts felt it was a tactical move, keeping the left-right batting combination in mind. However, it now appears that the decision might have been a forced one due to Shreyas’ fitness issues.

This is not the first time the 28-year-old middle-order batter has been troubled by back issues. He missed the ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year due to the same reason and was replaced by Rajat Patidar.

The batter was also ruled out of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur. He played in Delhi and Indore, registering scores of four, 12, 0, and 26.