Shreyas Iyer who will be making a comeback to the Indian team after a lengthy injury layoff, recently opened up about his back problems and his experience of donning the national colours once again for the upcoming Asia Cup.
“Feeling ecstatic to be honest, to join the team and see happy faces all around. The compassion shown by all the players was fantastic and I am thrilled to be back,” he said in an interview to BCCI.tv.
Talking about his back injury which led to Iyer getting surgery and missing the entirety of the last Indian Premier League season with Kolkata Knight Riders, the Indian middle order batter said, “To be precise I had this nerve compression, basically a slip disc, which was compressing the nerve and the pain was going all the way down to the bottom of my tiny toe and it was horrendous, to be honest, at that point of time. And I was in excruciating pain and I wasn’t able to express myself properly about what I’m going through. But yeah, this was the feeling which I was having at that point of time and it was hard to communicate to everyone.”
A journey of excruciating pain, patience and recovery 👏👏@ShreyasIyer15 highlights the contributions of trainer Rajini and Nitin Patel at the NCA in his inspirational comeback from injury 👌👌 – By @RajalArora #TeamIndia | @VVSLaxman281
Full interview 🎥🔽
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 27, 2023
Talking about the time he felt that he had to have surgery, Iyer said, “I had this issue for a while but I was taking injections, and I was going through various routes to see to it that I am steady and playing many more matches but it reached a saturation point where I realized that okay, now I have to have surgery.”
“The physios and the experts told me that it was important that you go under the knife and get this done straight,” he added.
Iyer’s last match was in March during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which India won 2-1 before his injury kicked in.
“Straight after the injury, I went back home after being hospitalised for two days. I gave myself rest for almost 10 days. At that period, one of the doctors had come to check my toe strength. He said that you can manage, but at the same time, the surgery will also be required. So, I thought the best decision would be to get the surgery done because I have long years ahead to play. And yeah, I am truly happy with my decision. After the surgery, the surgeon also said that it was a great decision that you decided to go for the surgery,” he elaborated further.
“Post surgery, I was there for three weeks in London because the doctor had to check the progress over some time. So, after three weeks, he was happy, and he asked me to come back. And then, the physios took over at the NCA,” he added.
The KKR captain said that after surgery, he also panicked at one point as the pain took a while to subside
“It was a roller-coaster ride. The pain was there until three months, and then after that, it started subsiding. But, at the same time, the physios were focused on getting the range back of my hamstring and glutes and everything. When you are going through a rehab, especially as a professional athlete, it is tough when the pain is not subsiding,” he said.
“Thankfully, I had a great set of friends around me and support staff and also my family. They were the ones who calmed me down in this situation, and I was panicking as well. But, patience is the key at this point, especially. So yeah, I’m truly happy to be where I am right now because I never imagined that I would recover so fast,” the batter added.
He also talked about his stint in the the National Cricket Academy which he termed as his toughest period.
“The testing phase was the toughest period to go through, and the physios and the trainers were pretty confident about me coming back strong. But, in my mind, I could feel the pain. So, I was pretty oblivious at that point of time whether I would pass the test or not. But, over some time, I realised that the pain is subsiding and my strength is improving in my leg. So gradually, as we started doing some running sessions, the first session was extremely tough. I was a bit perplexed then,” he said.
Most Read
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Asia Cup 2023: Haris Rauf sends back Shreyas Iyer, Shaheen claims Rohit and Kohli early
India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Weather Report: Toss could be delayed, but weather set to improve in the evening
“Second session, I was progressing. I did some trial yo-yo tests, and gradually, after some time, I played a match, and then, I was gaining that momentum. Then, in the yo-yo test, I surprised myself as well.”
Talking of the World Cup in October, Iyer said that he is taking it one day at a time and staying in the present.
“For me, it is important right now to be in the present and do my routines right. I don’t want to think what is going to happen beyond and what has happened in the past. I am ticking all the boxes day by day. In terms of preparation, I had a fantastic two days of practice with the boys, and also, it was competitive. So happy to be embracing every moment,” he said before signing off.
indianexpress.com
Source link