India National Cricket Team star batsman and ODI vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer, has suffered a major blow as his comeback to competitive cricket has been delayed, reported TOI on Tuesday, December 30.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) doctors at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) have denied giving the clearance to Shreyas Iyer to make his comeback from injury.
Shreyas Iyer’s comeback plans dashed
Iyer has been on the sidelines for an extended period of time after suffering an injury during the India tour of Australia 2025, which consisted of a three-match ODI series and a five-match T20I series.
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The right-handed batter has been working pretty hard for his comeback, and he has been training regularly in the gym and in the nets. He headed to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) on December 25 and underwent numerous fielding, batting, and fitness drills.
It was expected that the batter would be handed the clearance by the BCCI medical team on December 30 to leave the facility and make his competitive cricket comeback, but that didn’t happen.
His comeback has been delayed by at least a week, and he has been asked to stay at the CoE. The major reason behind Iyer not getting the Return to Play (RTP) is the rapid weight loss.
Shreyas Iyer loses 6 kilograms
Iyer’s abdominal injury was a serious one, and it has led to the batter losing around 6 kilograms of weight. Although he has managed to regain some weight, his drop in muscle mass has pushed his strength below optimum levels.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer has not faced any concerns while batting, and attention will be paid to his weight and strength issues in the coming week.
“There is no problem with his batting but he lost around six kgs after the injury in Australia. While he has regained some weight, there has been a drop in muscle mass which has further affected his optimum strength levels.
“The medical team will not be taking any chances because he is a very important player in the ODI set up and his complete recovery is of utmost importance right now. The selectors and management will be conveyed about his present situation before they meet to pick team for New Zealand ODIs,” a BCCI official told TOI.
Shreyas Iyer unlikely to feature in New Zealand ODIs
Earlier, it was reported that Iyer would make his international comeback in the ODI series against New Zealand. The three-match ODI series between India and New Zealand will be played on January 11, 14, and 18 in Vadodara, Rajkot, and Indore.
“There were a lot of positive developments as he batted in Mumbai, went to CoE and was pushing himself to feature in the New Zealand ODIs. There were indications of him playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches on January 3 and 6 too but we have now been told that he needs more time and will only be available from the knockout stages of the tournament,” a MCA official tracking developments told TOI.
However, Iyer will only be cleared by the BCCI medical team at CoE on January 9, and he is unlikely to feature in the New Zealand ODI series. Instead, he might feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy knockouts.
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