Injuries shadow Shreyas Iyer again, New Zealand ODI Series in doubt!

Team India’s ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer has failed a fitness test at Bengaluru’s Centre of Excellence and will continue rehabilitation, raising concerns over his repeated injury setbacks across formats.

Team India’s one-day international vice-captain Shreyas Iyer is facing yet another fitness setback, making his participation in the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand uncertain. The Mumbai batter recently failed a fitness test at the Centre of Excellence (formerly NCA) in Bengaluru and will remain under rehabilitation for the next few days.

This development once again puts the spotlight on Iyer’s long struggle with injuries. Over the past few years, the talented middle-order batter has spent more time in rehabilitation than on the cricket field, battling recurring fitness issues that have repeatedly stalled his international career.

Despite being regarded as a highly skilled cricketer with strong leadership qualities, Iyer’s progress has been repeatedly interrupted. At one stage, he was seen as a potential all-format leader for Team India. However, frequent injuries have forced him to miss several crucial matches across Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

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One of the most serious setbacks came during the 2025 Sydney ODI, when Iyer suffered a major injury while attempting a catch. He was rushed to a private hospital in Sydney after internal bleeding was detected near his ribs and was treated in the ICU before being discharged. Although he recovered, he has not yet regained full match fitness.

In February 2024, Iyer played his last Test match against England in Visakhapatnam. Later, while leading India A against Australia A, he struggled with back pain and opted for a break from cricket. During the England tour in 2024, he featured in the first Test but was ruled out of the remainder of the series due to back spasms. He subsequently missed the Ranji Trophy and was dropped from the BCCI central contract list.

Back issues have been a recurring concern. During the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Iyer again suffered a back injury that required surgery, forcing him to miss the IPL and the World Test Championship final.

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His injury troubles date further back to March 2021, when he dislocated his shoulder during an ODI against England in Pune. That injury ruled him out of the remainder of the ODI series, IPL 2021, the T20 World Cup later that year, and also cost him the captaincy of Delhi Capitals.

With five major injuries in the last five years, Shreyas Iyer’s career has been heavily impacted. As he undergoes yet another rehabilitation phase, questions remain over his availability and long-term fitness ahead of key international assignments.