Shreyas Iyer to miss NZ ODI series; Patidar replaces him
In a major blow to Team India, batter Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand owing to a back injury. The middle-order batter will report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for further assessment and management. Meanwhile, the All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Rajat Patidar as Iyer's replacement for the series. Here are further details.
India's updated ODI squad against New Zealand
India's updated ODI squad against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KS Bharat (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Rajat Patidar, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik.
Iyer was India's highest run-scorer in 2022
Iyer finished as India's leading run-scorer in international cricket in 2022. He surpassed Suryakumar Yadav, who finished the year with 1,424 runs across formats. The former occupied the third spot overall, having smashed 1,609 runs from 39 internationals at an average of 48.75. Iyer was only behind Pakistan's Babar Azam (2,598) and Bangladesh's Litton Das (1,921) in this regard.
Iyer has cemented his spot in middle order
At the start of 2022, Iyer was under the scanner due to his short-ball woes. However, he became India's go-to batter in ODI and Test cricket as the year progressed. He stepped up when the Indian batting line-up looked inconsistent. While Iyer cemented his spot as a middle-order batter in ODIs, he bailed India out on several occasions in Test cricket.
Iyer entered an elite club
Iyer had become the only other player than Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, and Rohit Sharma to have scored the most international runs for India in a calendar year since 2011.
Iyer has been sensational in ODIs
Iyer, who made his ODI debut in December 2017, has been sensational in ODIs. He owns 1,631 runs in 42 games at a remarkable average of 46.60. He has struck at 96.50 so far (14 fifties and two centuries). He topped the ODI run chart for India in 2022, having slammed 724 runs from 17 matches at 55.69 (six fifties and a ton).
Patidar replaces injured Iyer for NZ ODI series
Meanwhile, Patidar has been on roll lately and the same earned him the timely call-up. He owns five 50-plus scores in eight outings in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. In List-A cricket, the Madhya Pradesh batter has smashed 1,648 runs in 51 games at 34.33 (50s: 8, 100s:3). Notably, the dasher gained limelight after scoring a ton in last year's Indian Premier League (IPL).
