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Cricket PlayersShreyas Iyer details agony of spleen injury, admits ‘didn’t even know about the word’: ‘It was excruciatingly painful’
Shreyas Iyer reflected on the seriousness of the spleen injury he suffered during the Australia tour.
India vice-captain Shreyas Iyer opened up about the spleen injury he sustained during the ODI series in Australia last year, an incident that sidelined him from competitive cricket for several weeks. The injury occurred during the third ODI in Sydney in October, when Iyer suffered a spleen laceration that led to internal bleeding. Promoted as India’s ODI vice-captain for the series, Iyer was visibly in distress as he left the field in severe pain. He was subsequently admitted to a hospital in Australia, where he remained under medical observation for a couple of days before beginning his recovery.
Ahead of the second ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday, Iyer reflected on the seriousness of the spleen injury he suffered during the Australia tour. He revealed how the pain and subsequent hospitalisation made him realise the extent of the damage and the gravity of the setback he endured.
“It was painful, excruciatingly painful. I didn’t realise how tough that injury was until I got to know that the spleen is an important part of our body and it’s an organ and I didn’t even know about the word," Iyer said.
“Then the next day when I was admitted to the hospital, after that I realised, ‘Wow, okay, this was a severe injury.’ Yes, it was (spleen was learnt as a new word that day)," he added.
In his first match for India after returning from injury, Iyer scored 49 against New Zealand in Vadodara, playing a crucial role in India’s successful 301-run chase.
Iyer spoke about the mental challenge of recovery, admitting he had to consciously slow himself down and give his body time to heal, despite his natural urge to stay active and constantly keep moving.
“This process, I felt that I had to give myself a little bit of time not to over-exert myself because I’m someone who can’t sit in one place. I want to keep doing one thing or another," he said.
“This injury gave me time to reflect upon myself”: Shreyas Iyer
The 31-year-old said the injury forced him to slow down and reflect, giving him time to rest and reset mentally. He added that by following the recovery guidelines and allowing himself the required six to eight weeks, his return to training and fitness became a smooth process.
“But this injury especially gave me time to reflect upon myself, rejuvenate and also relax as much as possible because it’s not that you can get up and start working out straight away. You need to give yourself a lot of time and I was told that within six to eight weeks, you will be back to normal and then you can start training. So I just followed the proper guidelines, which I was provided with and then after that it was a smooth sailing ride," he added.
