NCA email claims Shreyas Iyer "fit and available", a day after batter pulled out of Ranji Trophy game due to 'back spasms'

An email from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to selectors has claimed that Shreyas Iyer is "fit and available for selection" even though the Mumbai batter pulled out of the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals against Baroda citing "back spasms".

The Indian Express sourced an email from Nitin Patel, the head of sports science and medicine at the NCA and former India physio. In the mail, Patel wrote that Shreyas had "no fresh injuries" after leaving the Indian camp after the second Test against England.

“Shreyas Iyer was fit and available for selection as per the handover report of the Indian team after the 2nd Test match against England. There are currently no fresh injuries reported as well after his departure from Team India," the email read, according to the report.

A few weeks ago, Shreyas featured in the Ranji Trophy for the first time in five years to prepare for the ongoing Test series against England. However, the 29-year-old was dropped after the first two Tests, where he recorded scores of 35, 13, 27, and 29.

Although some reports at the time suggested he had back problems, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) didn't mention any such issue.

Shreyas was expected to report straight to Mumbai, even more so after BCCI warned players to prioritize IPL over domestic cricket.

However, on Wednesday, February 21, multiple reports cited sources in the Maharashtra Cricket Association saying Shreyas declared himself unfit, and it was seen as the recurring issue troubling him again.

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Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar get more chances to solidify their place in Test 11

In Shreyas Iyer's absence, Sarfaraz Khan shone for India on debut with twin half-centuries in Rajkot.

Now, with KL Rahul also unavailable for the fourth Test, both Sarfaraz and Rajat Patidar, who hasn't been able to secure consistent returns yet, would get another chance to solidify their place in the team for the remainder of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

The fourth India-England Test begins in Ranchi on Friday, February 23.