India vs Pakistan: Back spasm sidelines Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Shami makes way for Jasprit Bumrah

Shreyas Iyer and Mohammad Shami have been left out today. While Iyer has been excluded after he suffered a back spasm, no confirmation has been received for leaving out Shami.

Kolkata: India have got down to business against arch-rival Pakistan for the second time in eight days. On both occasions, the team management seems to have peeved the fans with the final XI.

On Sunday too, India left out middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer and Bengal pacer Mohammad Shami from their line-up. Iyer has developed a back spasm while there was no confirmation for the right-arm pacer.

Many have expressed their displeasure over Shami's exclusion from the marquee clash. "How can a fit Mohammad Shami not be a part of ANY international side today?" renowned filmmaker Srijit Mukherjee wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

However, sources close to the development indicated that the team management replaced Shami with Shardul Thakur in a bid to increase the batting strength and avoid a long tale.

Had Shami played in the XI, India would've had four bowlers — Jasprit Bumrah, Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav —with not-so-great batting skills lower down the order. By picking Shardul in the XI, he can make good contributions at number 8 followed by the tail.

After the toss, India captain Rohit Sharma said that there was one forced change. "There will be a challenge upfront, but the way we guys batted last time around gives us confidence. Two changes — (Jasprit) Bumrah is back and one forced change, Shreyas Iyer just got a back spasm so KL Rahul comes in for him," Rohit made it clear at the toss.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also released a statement regarding Iyer's exclusion from the high-octane match. "Shreyas Iyer had a back spasm during warm-up today," a BCCI update said.

It may be recalled that Iyer returned from a back surgery layoff in India's Asia Cup opener against the same opposition on September 2. Iyer last week played his first competitive match in nearly six months.

Iyer's last-moment exclusion made way for another comeback-man KL Rahul. Rahul last appeared in the IPL after recovering from a thigh surgery.

Both Iyer and Rahul have been drafted in India's World Cup squad. However, question mark remains over their match fitness after returning from a long injury lay-off.