India batter Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the opening Test of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, starting February 9 in Nagpur.

Iyer was ruled out of the recently held ODI series against New Zealand due to a back injury. However, his recovery is still underway at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

Shreyas Iyer failing to recover from back spasms will certainly vacant one spot in the Indian batting line-up.

The other contender to bat in the middle-order includes Suryakumar Yadav, who is yet to receive a Test cap. Shubman Gill could also feature in the middle-order if the hosts open with skipper Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.

"When New Zealand came to India in late 2021, Shubman Gill was being considered for middle order as KL Rahul was supposed to open with Mayank Agarwal. Then Rahul got injured and Gill opened. Then he got injured again. He was being considered for middle order in red ball," a BCCI source privy to development told PTI.

Talking about Gill, he originally started his red ball career as a middle-order batter before switching his position at the top of the order.

"When Rahul Dravid manned India A, Gill had played in middle order in a West Indies A tour where he had a double hundred in one of the Tests. To be fair, he was originally a middle order batter, who was converted into an opener," the former national selector said.

On the other hand, Surya’s dominance against spinners on wickets offering turn is a key factor.

"In case Nathan Lyon gets to turn his off breaks big, then SKY can dismantle him with his footwork. But against Cummins, Hazlewood, Gill could be a better bet," he added.

Had Shreyas Iyer been fit for the Nagpur Test, he would have been India’s first-choice middle-order batter, averaging over 60 in last year's five Tests in which he also smashed 422 runs and four fifties.

(With PTI Inputs)