Shreyas Iyer’s brave effort in the deep has come at a cost. The India vice-captain bruised his left rib cage during the third ODI in Sydney and was, according to the BCCI, “taken to hospital for further evaluation and assessment”.
The incident happened midway through Australia’s 34th over. Alex Carey tried to flat-bat Harshit Rana over the in-field, miscued badly, and the ball spiralled between backward point and deep third. Iyer took off from point, covered a good twenty metres, dived full length and clung on. It was a brilliant catch, but he landed awkwardly on his rib area and was in obvious discomfort straight away. The physio sprinted on, a brief assessment followed, and Iyer walked off gingerly before the next ball was bowled.
He did not return for the rest of Australia’s innings; they were bowled out for 236 in 46.4 overs. No update has yet been given on his availability for the remainder of the tour, though team management hope scans will rule out anything more serious than bruising.
“Has been taken to hospital for further evaluation and assessment,” the BCCI note read—short, and to the point. On television, former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist summed up most reactions: “Terrific commitment from Iyer, but you hate seeing a player pay that sort of price.”
India have already lost several senior players to niggles on this trip, so any lay-off for their deputy skipper would be unwelcome. That said, rib bruising can settle quickly; the next 24 hours should tell the story.
