India's veteran batter and IPL-winning skipper Shreyas Iyer has opened up about a serious spine injury that he suffered back in 2023, before the home World Cup.
Iyer, who is currently out of the Asia Cup squad, played a significant part of India's World Cup squad in 2023. His revelation about the nature of the injury has now come as a shock to fans.
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Currently, Iyer is not part of the Indian T20I or Test teams. He was not picked for India's T20I squad for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup in the UAE.
Shreyas Iyer reveals more on his serious spin surgery in 2023
In his recent interview with GQ India, the star-Indian batter opened up about the horrific injury he suffered in the World Cup year, back in 2023. Iyer shared the extent and the serious nature of the injury, describing it as really scary.
The Mumbai-born star played a crucial role for India in the very same year at the ICC Men's 50-over World Cup. Iyer ended the edition with a total of 530 runs, in 11 innings, at an average of above 66.
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Batting in the middle-order, Iyer ensured to keep the innings intact, while also scoring runs at a good pace. His knock of 105 from just 70 balls in the semi-finals against New Zealand allowed India to seal a spot in the Finals.
"No one can understand the pain I went through. I was totally paralysed in one leg. With spine surgery, you can place a rod in the back and still manage, but a snapped nerve, which is what I had, is really, really dangerous. The pain was horrendous, running all the way down to my tiny toe. It was so scary," said Iyer.
What's next for Shreyas Iyer?
Iyer has been named as India A's captain for their upcoming red-ball series against Australia A, which could well be an indication of his return to the Indian side.
After his heroics at the 50-over World Cup, he also played a major role in India's title-winning campaign at the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
The Mumbaikar's domestic and IPL stats have been great. He averaged near-50 in domestic cricket and the IPL and helped two different IPL teams to the IPL finals in two consecutive years. Under his captaincy, KKR lifted the cup in 2024, after a decade since their last trophy.
Iyer's focus will now be on scoring big runs in first-class cricket, and he would be very keen to make the India squad for the home Test series against the West Indies starting next month.
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