The confusion around Shreyas Iyer’s fitness status continues to grow as the middle-order batter has been declared fit by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) only a day after he opted out of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy quarter-final match against Baroda citing back spasms.

According to a report published in The Indian Express, Iyer had cited back pain as a reason for missing the all-important Ranji fixture, starting on Friday (February 23).

However, Nitin Patel, head of sports science and medicine at the NCA, reportedly informed the selectors that Shreyas had no fresh injuries and was cleared to play.

“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," Patel wrote in the email.

Last week, BCCI secretary Jay Shah issued a warning to India’s top cricketers - centrally contracted as well as India ‘A’, over their mandatory participation in domestic red-ball tournaments.

Shah wrote to the cricketers, stating that domestic cricket remains a “critical yardstick for selection” to the national team and non-participation in it will have “severe implications”.

The concerning trend of players prioritizing the IPL over domestic red-ball cricket led to this hard communication. Wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan, who withdrew from the Test tour of South Africa last December citing ‘personal reasons’, did not make himself available for Jharkhand’s last group match against Rajasthan.

Coming to Shreyas Iyer, the national selectors had reportedly told him to play Ranji Trophy so that his back gets used to the strain of batting and being on the field for an extended period of time.

Iyer registered scores of 35, 13, 27 and 29 in the first two Tests against England and was dropped for the last three matches. As per the report, the batter had complained of back spasms during the second Test.

The recurring back injury had kept Shreyas Iyer out of competitive action for a considerable period last year, including the Indian Premier League. He underwent a back surgery in April 2023 and came back into the Indian team during the Asia Cup.

With the fast-approaching IPL 2024, some players probably don't want to risk fatigue or injury which may hamper their chances of participating in the cash-rich tournament.

It was only last week that Jay Shah said players prioritising domestic cricket over IPL was not anticipated.

"However, there is a trend that has started to emerge and is a cause for concern. Some players have begun prioritising the IPL over domestic cricket, a shift that was not anticipated. Domestic cricket has always been the foundation upon which Indian cricket stands, and it has never been undervalued in our vision for the sport," Shah wrote in the letter addressed to players.

"It is essential to recognise that domestic cricket forms the backbone of Indian cricket and serves as the feeder line to Team India. Our vision for Indian cricket has been clear from the outset - every cricketer aspiring to play for India must prove themselves in domestic cricket. Performance in domestic tournaments remains a critical yardstick for selection, and non-participation in domestic cricket will carry severe implications," he added.

(The Indian Express inputs)