Team India ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer returns for the series against New Zealand after recovering from a spleen injury. He narrowly avoided another setback when a fan’s pet dog lunged at him. His comeback strengthens India’s middle order.
Team India ODI vice-captain and middle-order batter, Shreyas Iyer, has narrowly avoided getting injured again ahead of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, with the opening game taking place at Kottambi Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday, January 11. The 31-year-old was recently declared match fit to take part in India’s ODI leg of the home series against New Zealand.
Iyer was sidelined for two months after undergoing surgery on a spleen injury sustained during the third and final ODI of the three-match series against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground. The Punjab Kings skipper made a comeback to competitive cricket for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after receiving fitness clearance from the medical team at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
Shreyas Iyer proved his match fitness in the VHT, scoring 82 and 45 against Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, respectively, at the Jaipuriya Vidhalaya Ground in Jaipur, and was declared fit to return to the national side for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand.
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Shreyas Iyer Nearly Bitten by Fan’s Pet Dog
As Shreyas Iyer declared full fit to play the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, India ODI vice-captain narrowly escaped another injury after he was nearly bitten by a fan’s pet dog at the Vadodara International Airport on Friday, January 9.
In a video that went viral on social media, Shreyas can be seen exiting the airport when a fan approached him with a pet dog in her arms to sign an autograph. When the Punjab King skipper tried to pet the dog, it suddenly lunged at him, snapping its teeth, but Iyer managed to pull back and avoid any injury quickly and continued safely towards the departure gate.
An injury from the dog’s bite would have forced him to miss the ODI series against New Zealand, potentially derailing his national comeback.
There was uncertainty about his comeback to competitive cricket early after reportedly losing six kgs of weight and mass muscle due to surgery. However, Shreyas Iyer managed to regain his fitness in time for the ODI series, proving his dedication and resilience in returning to peak condition ahead of India’s crucial home matches against New Zealand.
Iyer’s Return a Major Boost for Team India
Shreyas Iyer’s performance in his two outings of the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh and Punjab has sent a positive signal to Team India management, who were closely monitoring his recovery and form. In the ODI series against South Africa, Ruturaj Gaikwad was picked as Iyer’s replacement and scored a century in the Raipur ODI.
With the return of Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj was omitted from the India squad for the ODI series against New Zealand. Since Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are expected to open and Virat Kohli to bat at No.3, the India ODI vice-captain is set to bat at No.4, providing stability and experience in the middle order for the team against New Zealand.
Shreyas Iyer has been India’s reliable middle-order batter, with his performance in the ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy last year, where he emerged as the Men in Blue’s highest run-getter with 243 runs, underlining his importance in the 50-over setup. Iyer is expected to be in India’s long-term ODI plans in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
In his ODI career, Shreyas Iyer has amassed 2917 runs, including 5 centuries and 23 fifties, at an average of 47.81 in 73 matches.
