Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan took an indirect dig at cricketers who pulled out of domestic cricket while citing workload management. His words come after Shreyas Iyer reportedly pulled out of Mumbai’s upcoming Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match citing back issues.

However, on Thursday, it was reported that he was given the fitness clearance to play in the domestic tournament by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The development came shortly after another Team India star, Ishan Kishan, had also made himself unavailable for Jharkhand's team selection.

Recently, India team coach Rahul Dravid and even the BCCI had urged the players to participate in domestic red-ball matches, to be in contention for the senior team.  That’s why, Iyer's unusual decision to make himself unavailable – despite being reported fit – has raised concerns.

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Former Indian bowler Irfan Pathan suspects there's something suspicious about the entire situation and didn't hesitate to express concerns regarding Iyer's circumstances.

“Is there a different rules for different players for not playing Indian first-class cricket in the name of looking after the body?” Pathan posted on X.

After failing to come good in the first two Tests against England in the ongoing series, Shreyas Iyer was dropped from the remainder of the three matches. Notably, he had not hit a fifty in 13 consecutive innings in Tests.

Although he encountered issues with his lower back and groin while batting in the second Test in Vizag, both the BCCI medical team and the NCA staff deemed him fit. The BCCI selection committee recommended that he participate in the Ranji Trophy. However, Iyer chose not to follow this advice.