BCCI confirms Shreyas Iyer’s 6-month break from Test cricket:Indian batsman wishes to ‘work on fitness’, will captain India A in one-day series vs Australia A

The Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) has officially announced India A squad for the three-day one-day series against Australia, with Shreyas Iyer as the captain of the squad. In addition to it, the board also confirmed Iyer’s break from red-ball cricket will extend up to 6 months. Apart from the Iyer’s break and India A squad, BCCI also released the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup. Notably, India A will play their matches in Kanpur starting from 30 September, while the Irani Cup will be played against Vidarbha, the champions of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, in Nagpur from 1 October. BCCI confirms Shreyas Iyer’s 6-month break from Test cricket The Senior Men’s Selection Committee of BCCI, while releasing the squads for Irani Cup and India A, also confirmed Iyer’s break from red-ball cricket. In its press release, the board secretary Devajit Saikia stated: Mr Shreyas Iyer has informed the BCCI of his decision to take a six-month break from red-ball cricket. Having undergone back surgery in the UK and managed his recovery well, he has recently experienced recurring back spasms and stiffness while playing the longer format. He wishes to utilise this period to build endurance, body resilience and work on his fitness. The press release further stated that due to Iyer’s unavailability in the Test cricket, he was not considered for selection for the Irani Cup. However, the 30-year-old was selected for the one-day series against Australia A and will captain the team. Iyer set to captain India A vs Australia A in one-day series Although Shreyas Iyer will not play red-ball cricket, he is part of the one-day squad for India A’s one-day games against Australia A. Moreover, the 30-year-old will also captain the India side in the three-match one-day series. It is worth noting that BCCI secretary Saikia has released two different India A squads. Here are both squads for the first one-day match as well as the second and third one-day matches. India A squad for 1st one-day match: Shreyas Iyer (C), Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (WK), Priyansh Arya, Simarjeet Singh India A squad for 2nd and 3rd one-day matches: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (WK), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh The apex board also released the Rest of India(ROI) squad for the Irani Cup with the following players in the team. Rest of India squad (Irani Cup): Rajat Patidar (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Aryan Juyal (WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad (VC), Yash Dhull, Shaikh Rasheed, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Saransh Jain