Shreyas Iyer to return in home ODI series against New Zealand? Know batter’s latest fitness update

subhradeep-choudhury — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 17:25:54 GMT

Know Shreyas Iyer's latest fitness update

India’s ODI vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer, who has been out of action since the third ODI of the three-match series against Australia down under at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) due to the injury that he picked while attempting the catch of Alex Carey, had his first batting session in Mumbai on Christmas eve as he is set to head to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

It has been reported that Iyer batted for close to an hour without any issue and has been working towards his return to competitive cricket. The Mumbai-born recently missed the entire South Africa series and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025/26 and is understood to be back for the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025/26.

“Shreyas Iyer had a very unfortunate injury in Australia, and it made him miss a lot of competitive cricket. The good sign is that he is pain-free at the moment and batted without any trouble in Mumbai on Wednesday. India next play New Zealand, and while that could still be touch and go, a return in the later stages of the Vijay Hazare Trophy can't be ruled out at this stage.” The BCCI official expressed on TOI.

Shreyas Iyer expected to return for VHT 2025/26 games

Iyer is anticipated to be at the CoE for nearly a week and is likely to get full clarity on the timeline during this period. The right-handed batter has also restarted his gym and fitness sessions, besides assessing the post-injury updates.

“He is already back to regular training in the gym. So, no red flags there at the moment, but it all depends on the CoE assessment. He will be there for anywhere between four and six days. Like with every player, he won't be rushed back, but efforts will be directed towards his speedy return.” The BCCI official added.

India’s next ODI series against New Zealand will begin on January 11, as the squad is likely to be announced on the second or third day of 2025. However, Iyer’s inclusion in those games can’t be ruled out.