Shreyas Iyer in doubt for remainder of series due to back stiffness

Injuries continue to have a big sway over India's selection in the Test series against England, with Shreyas Iyer now joining the list of players unavailable for selection. While Virat Kohli missed the first two Tests due to personal reasons, Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul didn’t take part in the Visakhapatnam due to injury-related concerns, letting India hand a debut to Rajat Patidar.

Cricbuzz reported that Shreyas Iyer, whose position had come under intense pressure following a string of low scores in Test cricket, complained of back stiffness - a chronic condition that forced him to consider surgery last year. He missed the 2023 Indian Premier League because of that and only returned in August 2023.

There is still no update on the fitness of KL Rahul and whether he will be fit for the Rajkot Test. The selection committee was supposed to pick the squad for the last three Tests on Wednesday, but due to regular uncertainties, it has now been delayed. It is expected that they will convene on Friday to pick the 15-member squad.

It has also been reported that Virat Kohli will not be available for the remainder of the Test series after having missed the first two Tests due to personal reasons. In the absence of former Indian skipper and now Iyer, India may decide to hand over a likely debut cap to Sarfaraz Khan, whose run-scoring appetite has been at an all-time high in the last four years.