Middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand due to a back injury, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Tuesday.

“He will be heading to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for further assessment and management,” it said in a statement.

Rajat Patidar, who is yet to make his debut, has been named as Iyer’s replacement in the ODI squad for the series.

Iyer played in all the matches in the recently-concluded series against Sri Lanka, scoring 28, 28 and 38 batting at No. 4. He is India’s second-highest run-scorer in ODIs since 2022, after Shubman Gill, scoring 818 at an average of 51.12.

The 28-year-old also played a starring role in India’s Test series win over Bangladesh in December last year, scoring 87 and 29* at Mirpur to help India win the deciding game.

India play the first ODI against New Zealand in Hyderabad on January 18 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

India’s updated ODI squad against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KS Bharat (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Rajat Patidar, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik.

Press Release, Source: IANS