"I wasn't able to express myself properly" - Shreyas Iyer opens up on his injury phase as he gears up for return

Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has opened up on his long-standing back injury that kept him away from action for months. The right-handed batter revealed the 'excruciating pain' he went through and his inability to express it.

The Mumbai-born cricketer was last in action during the 4th Test against Australia in March, but he didn't come out to bat in either innings. The 28-year-old missed the subsequent ODI series against Australia, IPL 2023, and the World Test Championship final in England in June.

Speaking in a video uploaded by BCCI.tv, Iyer revealed that the nerve compression and its pain stretched all the way to his toe.

"To be precise I had a nerve compression, basically a slip disk, which was compressing the nerve and the pain was going all the way down to the bottom of my tiny toe and it was horrendous, to be honest, at that point of time. I was in excruciating pain and I wasn't able to express myself properly about which I'm going through."

The 28-year-old highlighed that he was managing the situation through injections, but realized that he could not put off the surgery anymore.

"I had this issue for a while, but I was taking injection and was going through various routes to see to it that I am steady and playing any more matches. But it reached a saturation point where I realized I have to get a surgery and the physios and the experts told me it was important you go under the knife and get this done with straight."

Iyer and KL Rahul have returned to the squad for the 2023 Asia Cup, and are likely to bat at No.4 and 5 in the line-up. Hence, they are likely to look more settled in the series.

"The compassion shown by all the players was fantastic" - Shreyas Iyer

Iyer went on to credit his teammates for supporting him by welcoming him back into the team with open arms, adding:

"Feeling ecstatic to be honest, to join the team, and see all the happy faces around. The compassion shown by all the players was fantastic and I am thrilled to be back. I am truly happy to be back right now because I never imagined that I would recover so fast."

India open their 2023 Asia Cup campaign against Pakistan on September 2nd in Kandy.