‘It was horrendous, I was in excruciating pain’: Shreyas Iyer gives chilling details about injury before Asia Cup return

Shreyas Iyer said he had a slip disc, which was compressing the nerves with the pain going right down till his tiny toe.

With less than two months remaining for the upcoming ODI World Cup, Team India received a major boost as Shreyas Iyer was declared fit to return to the national side. The middle-order batter has been named in India's squad for the Asia Cup, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar hinting it will remain the core unit for the World Cup as well.

Shreyas Iyer in action (AFP/File Photo)

Iyer is making a comeback after a long injury layoff, during which he missed the all important Border-Gavaskar Trophy, IPL, and the World Test Championship final. Iyer in his first interaction after the Asia Cup squad announcement said he is thrilled to be back, also thanking his teammates for the support.

He then elaborated on the injury, which kept him out of action since March. Iyer said he had a slip disc, which was compressing the nerves with the pain going right down till his tiny toe.

Recollecting the moment, which he calls horrendous, Iyer said the pain to be excruciating, forcing him to take injections to continue playing.

"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. It was horrendous at that point of time and I was in excruciating pain.

“I had this issue for a while but I was taking injections and I was going through various routes to see that I am steady and playing many more matches but it reached a saturation point where I realized that now I have to get a surgery. The physios and the experts told me that it is important that you go under the knife and get this done with,” said Iyer in an interview to BCCI.tv.

Post surgery Iyer spent three weeks in London, where doctors monitored his progress before being handed to the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Iyer said the pain lasted for three months post surgery before it started subsiding.

"Post surgery I was there for three weeks in London, because the doctor had to check the progress over a period of time. So after three weeks, he was happy and he asked me to come back and then the physios to cover at NCA. It was a roller coaster ride to be honest.

“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, glutes, and everything,” he said.

Iyer is most likely to be part of India's playing XI for the marquee clash against Pakistan at Asia Cup on September 2, which will be played in Kandy.