Mumbai: Mumbai's prolific batter Shreyas Iyer has not taken the field for the second consecutive day during the Ranji Trophy Final between 41-time champions Mumbai and Vidarbha at Wankhede Stadium here.
"Shreyas (Iyer) has not taken the field on the fifth day also. Amol Bhatgal is the substitute in place of Shreyas," a Senior Mumbai Cricket Association official told ETV Bharat on condition of anonymity. "Shreyas Iyer is injured and the same back issue has surfaced," another reliable MCA source said.
Iyer picked up form at the very right time and showcased his prowess with bat, scoring 95 off just 111 balls including 10 fours and three sixes for Mumbai in their second innings on the third day. He forged the crucial partnership with U-19 ODI World Cup star Musheer Khan, who scored a century for the domestic giants, which helped set a record chase of 538 against Vidarbha. But, when Mumbai came out to take the field, he didn't appear on the ground Wednesday due to back pain and hasn't been seen on the field since the start of the play on Thursday morning.
The 29-year-old had made himself unavailable for Mumbai's Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Baroda, citing the same reason to the Mumbai Cricket Association. But, on the very next day, the head of sports sciences and medicine at the National Cricket Academy(NCA), Nitin Patel, informed the BCCI selectors that Shreyas Iyer was fit and no fresh injuries were incurred by him recently. Later, he featured in the Mumbai's squad for Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu which the hosts won quite comprehensively by an innings and 70 runs.