Shreyas Iyer has been named India’s vice-captain for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand but his place in the XI is still not guaranteed. The middle-order batsman will be allowed to play only if he gets final clearance from the BCCI medical team.
Iyer has not played since October 2025 after suffering a serious abdominal injury during the tour of Australia. He hurt his spleen during an attempted field stop in Sydney and was later diagnosed with internal bleeding.
The injury was so severe that hospitalization and minor medical intervention were required. Doctors then put him on a carefully planned recovery path, with the BCCI closely monitoring every stage of his rehabilitation.
Since then, Iyer has undergone months of supervised training under the board’s medical and executive staff. His inclusion in the selection suggests that he is almost fully fit, but the team management is not taking any risks yet.
Sources indicate that his availability could change till the eve of the first ODI. A final call will only be made after assessing how his body responds to full-intensity match simulations.
Despite the uncertainty, appointing him as vice-captain shows the confidence the team has in Iyer. He is seen as an important option in the middle order, especially with senior batters like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back in the ODI line-up.
The Indian think tank believes that Iyer’s ability to handle the pace and pivot in the middle overs will bring balance to the batting line-up. His presence also provides more flexibility for all-rounders lower down the order.
If Iyer doesn’t get the green signal, India will once again have to reshuffle the middle order for the New Zealand series. The team has had to deal with changes in that slot regularly over the past year.
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