A big contender to replace Shreyas Iyer. (Photo- Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)
The Indian cricket team has suffered a big setback. Star batsman Shreyas Iyer suffered an injury during the last match of the ODI series against Australia. His spleen was injured while taking the catch. Due to which he was admitted to a hospital in Sydney. According to reports, he will remain in the hospital for the next few days and it may take time to return to the field. This injury is a bad news for Team India, especially when the ODI series is to be played against South Africa next month. In such a situation, due to the absence of Iyer, a new challenge has arisen before the selectors.
Who will replace Shreyas Iyer in the team?
Shreyas Iyer bats at number four in the Indian ODI team and his record has been very strong. He has led the team to victory in many matches by playing brilliant innings in pressure situations. But now due to injury, he is almost out of the Africa series, which will affect the team’s strategy. In such a situation, the eyes of the Indian selectors are now fixed on a new face. According to media reports, Madhya Pradesh batsman Rajat Patidar can be included in the ODI team in place of Iyer. 32 year old Rajat has consistently performed brilliantly in domestic cricket, which makes him a strong contender for the national team.
Rajat Patidar made RCB the champion of IPL for the first time under his captaincy in IPL 2025. After this, he is continuously scoring runs in domestic cricket also. He has scored 2 centuries and 1 double century in the last 4 first class matches. Apart from this, two half-centuries are also included. During this period, under his captaincy, the Central Zone team also won the Duleep Trophy title after 11 years.
Played 4 matches for India
Rajat Patidar has played 3 Tests and 1 ODI for Team India so far. In the Test, he has scored only 63 runs in 6 innings. At the same time, he played this only ODI match for Team India against South Africa in December 2023. In which he lost his wicket after scoring 22 runs. In such a situation, if Rajat Patidar is included in the team for this series, then it can prove to be a big opportunity for his career.