Shreyas Iyer in contention for India's tour of Sri Lanka; IPL prospects to be unleashed during Zimbabwe series - Reports
Shreyas Iyer, despite losing out on a central contract, could feature in the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka on the back of his brilliant 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The right-handed batter led the franchise to their third title following a dominant campaign, and made an impression in the middle order as well.
With his recent exploits coming in the shortest format of the game, Iyer will also be in the selectors' radar for the Zimbabwe tour in July. The white-ball assignments against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe might mark Gautam Gambhir's first set of assignments as head coach of the Indian team. The former opening batter was reportedly interviewed by the CAC, and is the frontrunner to be Rahul Dravid's successor.
As a result, Shreyas Iyer might reunite with his franchise mentor only a couple of months after guiding KKR to a historic title.
With the Indian senior team currently partaking in the 2024 T20 World Cup, a select group of youngsters are present at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to prepare for the Zimbabwe series, commencing from July 6 onwards.
"Shreyas is currently not at NCA. Here mostly those players are there, who have performed in the IPL and will be in contention for Zimbabwe selection. Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, Nitish Reddy, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Dayal are all at the camp. Some will go to Zimbabwe T20Is," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
The aforementioned youngsters had landmark IPL campaigns and could be a part of India's new-look T20I side, once the seniors step aside. Mayank Yadav had sustained an injury midway through the IPL season, but is earmarked as a prospect due to his ability to bowl with sheer pace. The likes of Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yash Dayal are under the BCCI's fast bowling contract.
Shreyas Iyer struggled with a persistent back injury last year, but made a strong return through the 2023 Asia Cup. He played a vital role in Team India's unbeaten run to the finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup as well.
"However, there is every possibility that Shreyas will travel for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka. The last ODI that India played was in South Africa and he scored a half-century (52). He had 500 plus runs (530) in World Cup and averages just around 50. Can you drop him?" the source said of Iyer.
Iyer's last appearance for India came during the home Test series against England. He played only the first two Tests of the series that India went onto win by a 4-1 margin.
Team India to play five T20Is in Zimbabwe; tour of Sri Lanka includes three ODIs and three T20Is
India's tour of Zimbabwe will take place from July 6 to 14. The bilateral series presents itself as an excellent avenue for India to test their bench strength. The senior members are unlikely to be considered as they have had a hectic period with the IPL and the 2024 T20 World Cup.
According to the FTP, India will play three ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka. The schedule for the series is yet to be announced.