199 problems, Fitness ain't one: How Shreyas Iyer aced Asia Cup, World Cup 2023 race

March 23, 2021: Shreyas Iyer hurts his shoulder. underwent surgery in London. Misses the IPL 2021. Misses the bus for T20 World Cup 2021.

March 11, 2023: Shreyas Iyer complains of severe back pain. BCCI sent him for scans. Underwent surgery in London. Ruled out of the IPL 2023 and WTC Final.

It would have been a sense of deja vu for Shreyas Iyer with a second major injury in 3 years. Having missed the last three World Cups, the Mumbai-born superstar was not taking any chances. The 28-year-old had done the hard work to nail his spot in the team. The matter of question was his fitness, with the BCCI closely monitoring his process.

Shreyas had a bulging disc in his lower back, which caused him pain. While surgery was always an option, in the early stages of recovery, Shreyas was counselled on rest and rehabilitation. He also attempted ayurveda to get himself on track for the IPL 2023. However, once it became clear that it could risk his World Cup participation, the 28-year-old went under the knife. He underwent surgery in London in April, with a three-month return date set.

The comeback wasn’t without setbacks. Initially, his recovery was slow, with Shreyas still complaining about back pain. He returned to the NCA, working closely with NCA medical chief Nitin Patel and trainer Rajnikanth Sivagnanam. He began batting in the nets earlier this month, but a return for the IND vs IRE T20s was deemed premature. Even then, doubts persisted about his comeback for the Asia Cup.

Before Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar named India’s Asia Cup squad, Shreyas went through the grind to prove his fitness. The KKR skipper played multiple practice matches at the NCA Campus, saving his best for the D-Day. Iyer scored a fantastic 199 in a practice game, smashing the NCA bowlers to all parks. He followed it up with 50 overs on the field showing no signs of discomfort.

“He smashed the bowlers at the National Cricket Academy, scoring 199 in a practice tie. To provide the selectors with more evidence of his fitness, he then fielded for the entire 50 overs of that match, which was held at the Just Cricket Academy in Bangalore 3-4 days back,” a reliable source in the BCCI told TOI.

Shreyas was a regular in all formats before injury ruled him out of action. He now returns for the Asia Cup, as a solution to India’s long-standing No.4 problem. Iyer averaged a staggering 51.51 in his last 20 ODIs and is one of the mainstays of the Indian lineup.

Back in 2019, Shreyas Iyer was ignored for the World Cup squad with Rishabh Pant preferred ahead of him as replacement. In 2021, he missed out on the T20 WC due to injury. A year later, Suryakumar Yadav had announced him on the world stage and Shreyas was only a standby. In 2023, he missed out on the World Test Championship final. He now stares at his maiden World Cup appearance when the tournament kicks off on October 5. Fitness isn’t a problem anymore.

Cricket