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'Coming back with a boom' - Fans react as Shreyas Iyer proves his fitness ahead of Asia Cup with a scintillating 199 in practice match

India middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer proved his fitness ahead of the 2023 Asia Cup with 199 runs in a practice match at NCA.

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Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer (Source: Twitter)

Shreyas Iyer has not played competitive cricket since suffering a back injury earlier this year. But the 28-year-old convinced the Indian selectors that he is fully fit and ready to give his best in the Asia Cup 2023 with a scintillating 199 in a practice match in Bengaluru. Iyer was recently named in the 18-member squad for the continental event, which begins on August 30, to mark his comeback from injury.

Iyer was a regular member of Team India in both ODIs and Tests, but unfortunately, he had to stay out of the team for quite a while due to a back injury sustained during the 2023 Border Gavaskar Trophy. He had to miss important cricket events like the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) and World Test Championship (WTC) final. However, India could not miss him in the upcoming major tournaments - the 2023 Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup.

Concerns over the fitness status of Iyer, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah have been the main reason behind the Indian Cricket Board's delay in announcing the Asia Cup squad. While Bumrah proved his fitness against Ireland in the recently concluded T20I series, Iyer and Rahul have been convincing the selectors through training and practice matches.

Shreyas Iyer set to solve India's No. 4 crisis

According to a report by the Times of India, the Kolkata Knight Riders batter smashed 199 runs and fielded in a 50-over practice match at the NCA. "He smashed the bowlers at the National Cricket Academy, scoring 199 in a practice tie. To provide the selectors with more evidence of his fitness, he then fielded for the entire 50 overs of that match, which was held at the Just Cricket Academy in Bangalore 3-4 days back," a source told TOI.

"For the past two months, he has been stationed at the NCA in Bangalore, focusing on his recovery. It's all come together nicely for him," the source added.

With Iyer returning to the squad, India's No. 4 crisis is set to be resolved. The right-hander has been one of the best consistent batters in the middle order in the past few years. The management experimented with a few players at that spot but none impressed. Now that he is fully fit, he will walk straight back into the playing XI in the Asia Cup.

Here's how fans reacted to Shreyas Iyer smashing 199 in a practice match: 

India Shreyas Iyer Asia Cup 2023