India's star batter Shreyas Iyer has revealed that he had raised concerns about persistent back issues after the 2023 ODI World Cup, but his concerns were initially dismissed.
"I was definitely struggling after the World Cup in the longer format," said Iyer, who captains the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). "When I raised my concern, no one was agreeing to it."
Despite his concerns, Iyer remained determined to perform at his best in the IPL. "When the IPL was approaching, all I wanted to see was that I've put my best foot forward," he said. "We [KKR] had done a lot of planning and strategizing, and if we could execute it to the best of our abilities, we would have been in a great spot."
Iyer's back injury had previously sidelined him from the Asia Cup in 2023 and the first two England Tests in early 2024. He was cleared for selection after the second England Test but missed subsequent Ranji Trophy games for Mumbai, citing back spasms.
Despite being cleared by the BCCI medical staff, Iyer's absence from the Ranji Trophy raised questions about his priorities. BCCI secretary Jay Shah had warned players against prioritizing the IPL over domestic cricket, and Iyer lost his central BCCI contract despite meeting the minimum criteria for matches played.
During the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha, Iyer was absent from the field for two consecutive days due to back issues.
Iyer acknowledged the challenges of transitioning from red-ball to white-ball cricket. "It's kind of difficult as a batsman and also as a bowler," he said. "But once you get used to it, I think you pick up the pace and march on with the other players."
Tags: #ShreyasIyer, #BackInjury, #IPL, #KKR, #BCCI
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