India ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer had his first batting session, since injury, in Mumbai on December 24 and the right-hander is now headed to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. It is learnt that Iyer batted for close to an hour without any discomfort and is working towards returning to competitive cricket.He last featured in the ODI series versus Australia in October where a blunt injury to his abdomen forced him miss the entire Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and ODIs vs South Africa. It is difficult to put a date on his return at this stage but it’s understood that the 31-year-old is pushing for a return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy but the timelines will be firmed up at the CoE.
“Shreyas Iyer had a very unfortunate injury in Australia and it made him miss a lot of competitive cricket. The good sign is that he is pain free at the moment and batted without any trouble in Mumbai on Wednesday. India next play New Zealand and while that could still be touch and go, a return in the later stages of Vijay Hazare Trophy can’t be ruled out at this stage,” said a BCCI official privy to developments.Iyer is likely to spend “four to six” days at the CoE in Bengaluru and is likely to get clarity on the timelines during this period. He had already resumed regular gym and fitness sessions and all the post-injury scans and assessments have not shown any reason for alarm.“He is already back to regular training in the gym. So no red flags there at the moment but all depends on the CoE assessment. He will be there for anywhere between four to six days. Like with every player, he won’t be rushed back but efforts will be directed towards his speedy return,” adds the official.India next play ODIs vs New Zealand from January 11 and the squad for the series is likely to be announced early in January – around 2nd or 3rd. Iyer is touch and go as far as those fixtures are concerned but it cannot be completely ruled out at this stage.
