Team India batsman Shreyas Iyer is being ruled out of the team due to repeated injuries in his lower back. Iyer was led out of the final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. At the same time, he was also ruled out of the ODI series against Australia.
Meanwhile, there is news that he may stay away from the cricket field for about five months due to being out of IPL 2023. This means Shreyas Iyer can also be out of the WTC final.
A report in ESPNcricinfo claimed that Iyer would undergo surgery and be looked after by the BCCI medical team at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. In such a situation, the question is which players BCCI can give a chance in place of Iyer in the WTC final. Today we will tell you about those three players who can replace Iyer in the WTC final.
Suryakumar Yadav
The first name on this list is Suryakumar Yadav, who can replace Shreyas Iyer in the WTC final. Surya is currently the No. 1 T20 batsman in the world and recently made his Test debut as well. Surya was included in the Test team in place of Iyer.
However, Suryakumar failed to make a mark, scoring only eight runs in the innings he batted. He hit sixes and sixes against Australia’s spinners before being dismissed by Nathan Lyon. Despite his failures, Surya is trusted by the Indian team, which may give him a chance.
Sarfaraz khan
Another name on this list is Sarfaraz Khan, who can replace Shreyas Iyer in the WTC final. There has been a demand for Sarfaraz’s inclusion in Team India for a long time, and the reason behind this is his recent performance in domestic cricket, which has been excellent.
In 54 innings of 37 first-class matches, he has scored 3505 runs with the help of 13 centuries, in which 301 not out is his best score. And in the absence of wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz could be the perfect middle-order option in English conditions.
Hanuma Vihari
The third name on this list is Hanuma Vihari, who can replace Shreyas Iyer in the WTC final. Till Ravi Shastri was the head coach of Team India, and Virat Kohli was the captain, Vihari was a part of India’s squad, but he was out of Team India as soon as Rohit-Dravid’s tenure came. Though he has only one hundred and five half-centuries to his name in 16 matches, Vihari is known for putting his body on the line every time he goes out to bat.
He can be a good option in the middle order against Australia’s pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. Vihari has played against him before and will be your best bet to deal with him in the fast conditions of England.
