Asia Cup 2023: Injury Woes Continue for Shreyas Iyer, Stays in Hotel as India Take on Sri Lanka

Colombo: Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the Asia Cup Super 4 match against Sri Lanka due to a back spasm, as announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shortly before the match on Tuesday. Iyer sustained the injury during a warm-up session before India’s previous match against Pakistan and has not travelled with the team to the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

In a tweet, BCCI stated, “Shreyas Iyer is feeling better but is yet to fully recover from a back spasm. He has been advised rest by the BCCI Medical Team and has not travelled with the team to the stadium today for India’s Super 4 match against Sri Lanka.”

UPDATE – Shreyas Iyer is feeling better but is yet to fully recover from back spasm. He has been adviced rest by the BCCI Medical Team and has not travelled with the team to the stadium today for India's Super 4 match against Sri Lanka.#AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/q6yyRbVchj

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 12, 2023

Following the victory against Pakistan, which was delayed due to rain, India’s captain Rohit Sharma disclosed that KL Rahul was a last-minute addition to the XI in place of the unavailable Iyer.

This setback raises concerns about Iyer’s fitness, as it marks the third time he has suffered a back injury in the past six to seven months. His previous back injury had caused him to miss part of the home series against Australia and the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) season. His return to the Indian side occurred during this Asia Cup.

Iyer participated in the group-stage matches against Pakistan and Nepal, scoring 14 runs against Pakistan before being dismissed while attempting to pull a delivery from Haris Rauf. He did not have the opportunity to bat against Nepal.

While BCCI did not provide specific details about the extent of Iyer’s injury, the recurrence of back injuries among Indian cricketers in recent years has raised questions about the National Cricket Academy’s role in injury prevention and management.

With the impending World Cup, India faces a critical decision regarding Iyer’s fitness. If he does not recover in time, India has limited options. In the current XI, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan have performed well, but the squad lacks depth. Suryakumar Yadav is the only backup in the squad. This situation leaves room for potential replacements, such as Tilak Varma or Sanju Samson.

Considering the left-hander advantage and Tilak Varma’s part-time bowling ability, he may be the preferred choice if a change is needed. It’s worth noting that India can make adjustments to their squad until the end of this month, providing flexibility in their selection decisions.