Reports | Shreyas Iyer and Shardul Thakur gear up for Irani Trophy as Rahane leads

Shreyas Iyer has been out of the Indian Test lineup since playing in the second match of the five-Test series against England earlier this year. He featured in the game at Visakhapatnam but was left out of the following three matches, even after being declared fit from a back spasm. He also missed a few first-class matches during the last Ranji Trophy season and was not included in the BCCI’s central contracts list. His last game for India was in an ODI against Sri Lanka in early August.

Now back in the domestic circuit, Shreyas captained India D in the 2024 Duleep Trophy. With India facing a busy Test schedule over the next four months, the 29-year-old will be keen to earn his place back in the Test squad. Meanwhile, Shardul Thakur, recovering from ankle surgery in June, has made his return. After participating in the KSCA tournament, he is expected to be available for the Irani Cup.