Shreyas Iyer to make a comeback for ODI series vs New Zealand

Indian middle order batter Shreyas Iyer is likely to make a comeback for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. Shreyas suffered a serious spleen laceration while attempting to take a diving catch during an India vs Australia ODI in October and has been out of action since then. The New Zealand series starts on January 11. He has still not yet received clearance from the BCCI but there are high chances he may get it soon as India is likely to announce the squad today or tomorrow.

Earlier this week it was reported that Shreyas Iyer had rapidly lost weight (around 6 kg) due to the injury, as there has been a drop in muscle mass. India’s ODI vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer is steadily moving closer to a return to competitive cricket, with the Indian

batter set to undergo match-simulation sessions as the final step before being considered for selection for the upcoming white-ball tour of New Zealand.

On December 25, 2025, Iyer began his final phase of his rehabilitation. Since then, the right hand batter has shown notable improvement in strength and conditioning and has successfully completed four high intensity skill sessions involving both batting and fielding.

Clearance for white-ball formats will only be considered after he completes these without any setbacks. As part of the clearance protocol, Shreyas Iyer is scheduled to undergo two match-simulation sessions, the first of which will take place on January 2, with the second slated for January 5.

In Shreyas Iyer’s absence, India have already tried alternative options. Ruturaj Gaikwad was included in the ODI squad for the recently concluded series against South Africa and he scored a century, which made his case for continued selection. That performance could mean Ruturaj will also be in the squad as he also batted in the middle order for Maharashtra in recent Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Since the injury in October, Shreyas has also missed the bilateral series against South Africa and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Shreyas is making good progress and if he passes the couple of tests as per protocol he could be named in the squad for the series against New Zealand which will start on January 11.