Shreyas Iyer Expected to Make International Return for Sri Lanka ODIs; Riyan, Abhishek, and Mayank Considered for Zimbabwe T20Is

Shreyas Iyer could make a comeback to International cricket while Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag could get their maiden India call-ups. (Sportzpics)

With reports suggesting that Gautam Gambhir is in line to take the head coaching job for the Indian cricket team, his appointment could mean a second chance for Shreyas Iyer to revive his international career.

Iyer, the Kolkata Knight Riders skipper, led the side to a long-awaited title by winning the Indian Premier League 2024 with Gautam Gambhir mentoring the franchise.

With Gambhir in line to be the next head coach, Iyer might be able to get back in the side for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka that is slated to take place between July and August.

It is also likely that the KKR skipper could be in the hunt for a spot in the T20I squad when India takes on Zimbabwe in a five-match T20I series on July 5.

Both Gambhir and Iyer know each other fairly well as the two have formed a successful partnership following the IPL win but the latter has struggled internationally having missed out on the BCCI’s central contracts along with the wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan since the two were reluctant to play domestic cricket.

However, Iyer defends himself as he maintains that it was a lower-back issue that kept him out of action despite playing the Ranji Trophy final scoring 90-odd runs.

Potential Call-ups for Young Indian Stars

The National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru is hosting a bunch of young Indian stars to train at the academy ahead of the T20I series against Zimbabwe

“Shreyas is currently not at NCA. Here mostly those players are there, who have performed in the IPL and will be in contention for Zimbabwe selection.

“Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, Nitish Reddy, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Yash Dayal are all at the camp. Some will go to Zimbabwe T20Is,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.’

“However, there is every possibility that Shreyas will travel for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka. The last ODI that India played was in South Africa and he scored a half-century (52). He had 500 plus runs (530) in the World Cup and averages just around 50. Can you drop him?” he added.

As for the senior stars, the report suggests that the likes of Rohit Sharma Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah will be focusing on Tests and ODIs till January 2025.

The schedule includes two home games each against Bangladesh and New Zealand, five away against Australia and the marquee ODI Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

While there will be a lot of new players in T20Is including IPL stars, the likes of Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed are also expected to travel to Zimbabwe.

In case Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav are not rested, they are expected to be the designated captain and vice-captain for the tour although both have been playing constantly since the start of the IPL.

(with PTI Inputs)

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