Indian batter Shreyas Iyer is running against time to get fit as soon as possible to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and be available for the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final. The cricketer has arrived at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for regular treatment instead of opting for back surgery. He will be given an injection on March 29th, and his stay duration will be determined after the staff in Bengaluru evaluate his progress.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, Iyer, who is also the regular captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), wishes to remain eligible for selection for the WTC final against Australia in London, set to begin from June 7. He has postponed his surgery since undergoing it would have resulted in at least six months of inactivity.
“He has met the specialist and the NCA officials. All are on the same page that the operation can be deferred. He will follow the experts’ advice,” said a source.
It’s worth noting that the recurring back injury has been big trouble for Iyer for a while. He was declared unfit for the New Zealand ODIs before the right-handed batter joined the Team India squad ahead of the Australia Test series. However, the back injury came back to hurt him ahead of the last Test in Ahmedabad.
Meanwhile, KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit expressed his optimism regarding Iyer’s availability at some point in the league. The coach acknowledged that Iyer’s absence would impact the team, however, he remains hopeful that the Mumbaikar will return soon.
“Shreyas’ absence will make a difference since he is important, but this is truly unfortunate. We are hoping Shreyas will be back very soon, and that will make a lot of difference to the team,” said Pandit in a statement.
