The Indian cricket team received a boost as star batter Shreyas Iyer has begun his training and rehabilitation following a serious injury. Iyer had suffered a spleen laceration during the third ODI against Australia in Sydney on October 25, after landing awkwardly while completing a catch.

He immediately left the field and was later admitted to the ICU. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Iyer had sustained a blunt-force abdominal injury, causing a laceration to his spleen and resulting in internal bleeding. Iyer underwent a minor procedure to manage the bleeding and was discharged once his condition stabilised.

The right-handed batter returned to India from Australia in November and has since been under the regular medical supervision of Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala. On Tuesday, November 25, Iyer shared an Instagram story indicating that he had resumed training, marking a positive step in his recovery.

However, he has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, set to begin on November 30 in Ranchi. KL Rahul has been named stand-in skipper for the Men in Blue, as the designated ODI captain, Shubman Gill, is recovering from a neck injury sustained during the first Test against the Proteas in Kolkata and is currently undergoing medical assessment in Mumbai.

The squad will also see the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli following the conclusion of the Australia series. Ruturaj Gaikwad makes a comeback after an outstanding performance in the India A series against South Africa A, where he amassed 210 runs in three matches at an average of 105, including a century and a half-century.

India will take on South Africa in a three-match ODI series, beginning in Ranchi on November 30, followed by matches in Raipur on December 3 and Vizag on December 6.

Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel