India’s vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer, encountered an injury scare during the third and final ODI against Australia in Sydney on October 25. After executing a remarkable catch to dismiss Alex Carey, Iyer landed awkwardly on his left hip, causing a significant impact. Playing at short third-man, Iyer displayed quick reflexes to grab Carey’s edge off Harshit Rana’s delivery but fell heavily as he completed the catch.
Focused on securing the catch, Iyer initially overlooked the pain until he tried to stand up and felt discomfort. He was visibly in pain and had difficulty standing, prompting his teammates and physios to attend to him on the field. Following a brief pause in the game, Iyer, struggling to move freely due to the hip injury, was helped off the field by the medical staff.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Iyer sustained a left rib cage injury while fielding and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Despite not being required to bat during India’s innings, Iyer did not return to the field, with Yashasvi Jaiswal taking his position.
Having previously managed back issues and recently taking a break from red-ball cricket to manage workload, Iyer’s absence was notable. India’s fielding performance was commendable, with standout catches from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Harshit Rana excelled with the ball, securing four wickets, while Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav also contributed with crucial dismissals.
With Matt Renshaw being the only Australian to reach a fifty, the hosts were bowled out for 236 as they aimed for a clean sweep in the ODI series.