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A day before the start of the Asia Cup 2025, Shreyas Iyer opened up like never before. The India batter, who was left out of the 15-member squad for the battle of the subcontinent, has been appointed captain of India A for a couple of multi-day matches against Australia A starting September 16. Having played a pivotal part for India at the Champions Trophy earlier this year and then leading Punjab Kings to the final of the IPL 2025, ideally makes a player undroppable. But this is Indian cricket, where the competition for each and every spot is fierce. Unfortunately, Iyer fell behind in the pecking order, so much so that the selectors even left him out of the reserves.
However, this setback pales in comparison to the one Iyer endured in 2023. Shortly after he emerged as India’s second-highest run-getter in that memorable home World Cup, Iyer picked up an injury that was more severe than it looked and had the potential to be career-threatening. Iyer missed most of the 2024 season because of a back injury, which escalated to the level where one of his legs was left paralysed. After a long spell of rehab, Iyer finally made it, but not before he was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders despite taking them to the title and was stripped of the BCCI’s Central Contracts List.
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“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,” Iyer said in a conversation with GQ India.
Shreyas Iyer’s historic redemption
Iyer enjoyed redemption last year, though, when he was picked for a whopping sum of ₹26.75 crore, becoming the second-costliest buy ever at the IPL auction. Iyer hasn’t spoken – at least not directly about being left out of India’s Asia Cup squad. Honestly, it’s not just the Asia Cup. He didn’t find a place in India’s Test squad for the England tour either. With stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announcing their retirements from the format, Shreyas was considered a shoo-in to fit in the middle order. India eventually managed to come back without losing, but when Shreyas returns to the Test fold remains to be seen.
“I can only control the controllable. I can only keep working on my skills and strength, and when the opportunity arises, I’ll grab it with both hands,” he added.
