Shreyas Iyer will be on the flight to Vadodara after receiving the all-clear from the BCCI medical team for the three-match one-day series against New Zealand. The middle-order batter, named in the initial 15 but listed as “subject to fitness”, showed enough in two Vijay Hazare Trophy outings for Mumbai – 82 against Goa and 45 versus Baroda – to convince the selectors he’s ready.
“The medical team has declared Shreyas fully fit,” a short BCCI note said on Wednesday. “He will join the squad on Friday.”
It ends a difficult ten-week spell for India’s vice-captain in the format. Iyer lacerated his spleen while diving for a catch in Sydney on 25 October, spent several nights in hospital and, unsurprisingly, sat out the home series against South Africa. Speaking after Mumbai’s win at Wankhede on Monday, he sounded relieved more than anything else. “I just needed some game time. Once I batted for 20-odd balls, the body felt normal again,” he said.
Those Vijay Hazare fixtures also gave him unexpected captaincy practice; Shardul Thakur, Mumbai’s usual stand-in skipper, had a sore ankle, so Iyer took the reins. Mumbai coach Omkar Salvi felt the extra responsibility helped. “He had to think for the group, not just himself, and that often fast-tracks confidence after an injury break,” Salvi explained.
Most of the national squad gathered in Vadodara on 7 January, two full days before nets began. The opening ODI, scheduled for Sunday, will be the first men’s international in the city for more than 15 years. Kotambi Stadium, a compact new ground on the outskirts, has already hosted Women’s Premier League matches and a handful of women’s ODIs.
Conditions should suit India’s spinners early in the series; red soil, slow turn and a fast-draining outfield are the ground staff’s calling cards. New Zealand, arriving from their T20 trip to Bangladesh, will train under lights on Friday.
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer believes Iyer’s inclusion balances the XI. “At No. 4 he absorbs the short ball and still keeps the score moving. The line-up suddenly looks organised,” Jaffer told Star Sports.
New Zealand, for their part, named a largely settled squad last week, but coach Gary Stead expects India to push the pace at home. “They bat deep and have multiple spin options; we’ll need to be smarter in those middle overs,” he said.
Rohit Sharma’s men, meanwhile, will lean on new-look seam options. Mohammed Siraj leads the attack, with Harshit Rana, uncapped in ODIs, and the returning Prasidh Krishna providing support.
Full India ODI squad
Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The three matches will be played in Vadodara (14 Jan), Indore (17 Jan) and Rajkot (20 Jan).
