In two games in 2022, Shreyas Iyer amassed 202 runs at an average of 101 during an amazing tour of Bangladesh. In both white- and red-ball formats, the batter looked ready to be a reliable middle-order hitter. But Iyer’s career has been repeatedly hampered by back problems since the series.
Let’s examine the series that Iyer has missed because of his injuries.
Gavaskar Trophy border
Despite making it through the first three Tests, Iyer suffered a recurrence of a back injury that would require surgery, which kept him out of the Ahmedabad Test.
2023 Indian Premier League
The run scoring and captaincy of Iyer were crucial to Kolkata Knight Riders; however, the star batsman missed the entire season due to surgery. Nitish Rana was granted the captaincy.
Final of the World Test Championship
Despite his lacklustre series against Australia, the 29-year-old was still projected to finish as the number five player in the Indian Test team for the foreseeable future. To fill the position, Ajinkya Rahane had to be called back by the WTC final management.
The 2023 Asia Cup and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup
Iyer would make his long-awaited return to the team following surgery to play in the Asia Cup Super 4 match against Pakistan. Despite having a flawless appearance, he managed to go against the flow of the game. Iyer was eliminated from the competition later on due to back spasms, though.
His problems didn’t end with missing the Asia Cup; he was also unable to attend the home World Cup warm-up matches and the opening group-stage match against Australia. He later returns to the side, though, and is essential to India’s campaign.
Ongoing tournament matchup with England
Despite his lacklustre performance in the series against England, Iyer is regarded as one of the better spinners in the modern era of cricket. The player was declared ineligible for the Rajkot Test following the Visakhapatnam Test, and Sarfaraz Khan was selected as his replacement.
