Shreyas Iyer's fitness concerns returned to haunt him on Sunday when a back spasm ruled him out of the big-ticket 'Super 4' match in the Asia Cup against Pakistan, who won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Iyer, who had a back surgery, returned to India colours after almost six months in the team's Asia Cup opener on September 2.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah returned to the eleven after a quick trip back home for the birth of his child. He replaced fellow pacer Mohammed Shami.
"Two changes - Bumrah is back and one forced change. Shreyas Iyer just got a back spasm, so KL Rahul comes in for him," said Rohit at the toss.
Iyer getting injured opened an opportunity for the Indian think-tank to bring in Rahul, who too is coming back after undergoing a surgery following his thigh injury in the Indian Premier League.
Iyer and Rahul were also earlier included in the 15-member squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup to be held in India from October 5 to November 19.
But now the focus will be back on Iyer's fitness while Rahul will be closely watched in today's match against Pakistan.
(AI image)
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
(With agency inputs)
