Top 3 Shreyas Iyer Replacements for IND vs SA ODI Series

India's ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer faced a nasty injury during the third match of the three-match ODI series against Australia. The match between the two teams took place on Saturday, October 25 at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground.

Iyer, who had played a brilliant innings of 61 in the second ODI at Adelaide under pressure, got injured in the third game as he attempted to take the catch of Australia's middle order batter, Alex Carey. Iyer ran backwards from the point region and put in a sensational dive to take the catch. However, he fell badly and got injured with physios rushing around to check his injury.

Shreyas Iyer Injury: India Vice-Captain Suffers Painful Blow

After taking an excellent catch, Shreyas Iyer left the field in pain and didn’t return. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released an official statement, saying: "Shreyas Iyer sustained an injury to his left rib cage while fielding. He has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation and assessment of his injury."

According to the reports, Shreyas Iyer has been admitted to the ICU as there was internal bleeding. He is likely to stay in the hospital for 5 to 7 days and things look bad for him. With him bagging serious injury, there are less chances that he might play the South Africa series.

Top 3 Shreyas Iyer Replacements for IND vs SA ODI Series

With Iyer expected to be ruled out of the IND vs SA ODI Squad, the selectors are likely to pick up another option for the middle order. Team India is never short of options given the huge pool of talent. Let's have a look at top three Shreyas Iyer replacements for the IND vs SA ODI squad:

Rajat Patidar

One of the key players that can be included in the India team after Shreyas Iyer Injury is Rajat Patidar. He has been performing well in the domestic circuit and also guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to the title win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, leading from the front.

With the kind of form he is in, he might get added to the side for IND vs SA ODI series. He has played one ODI for India, which came in South Africa, where he scored 22 runs. He also showed excellent batting form during the Ranji Trophy opener by scoring a fine double-hundred.

Suryakumar Yadav

India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav might also be in contention to replace Shreyas Iyer in the squad. He plays spin well and there are chances that coach Gautam Gambhir might favour him.

The batter was given a lot of opportunities in the ODI team but he failed to cash on that with his last outing coming in the ICC World Cup 2023. With him being the T20I captain and also one of the best T20 batsmen in the world, he might get a chance in ODIs again.

Rishabh Pant

Star wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has also been out of action for a while and has been sidelined from the ODI setup as well. He is one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world right now. Shreyas Iyer Injury could be a great opportunity for him to make a comeback. Pant was part of the Indian side for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 but didn't get a single game as the team management preferred KL Rahul over him.