Mumbai, March 14 (IANS): Mumbai, Shreyas Iyer didn’t come on the field for the second consecutive day due to nagging back pain in the finals of the Ranji Trophy against Vidarbha.

After a blistering 95 off 111 balls in the second inning, setting up an imposing target of 538 runs for Vidarbha, Iyer battled with a familiar foe – his troublesome back which saw him out of the field for the whole fourth day. Despite receiving treatment and assurances of recovery, he remained sidelined on the final day too.

Following the grueling Test series against England, whispers of discomfort surfaced, particularly after enduring long innings. The BCCI's medical assessment cleared him, but the selectors opted to exclude him from the Test squad, a decision that stung Iyer deeply.

Iyer then missed Mumbai's last Ranji Trophy league match citing back spasms. However, during this time, he attended the pre-season camp for Kolkata Knight Riders, the team he will captain at IPL 2024.

However, his decision to prioritize IPL commitments over domestic cricket drew the ire of the cricketing authorities. BCCI secretary Jay Shah sent a letter to top players in the country warning them of "severe implications" if they prioritise the IPL over domestic cricket.

Iyer went on to miss Mumbai's quarter-final as well, but has played in the semi-final and the final. Iyer was also one of the high-profile names to be dropped from the list of centrally contracted players.