India’s top cricketer Shreyas Iyer has opened up about his struggles in career. He was surprisingly excluded from the 15-member squad of the Asia Cup 2025 and now has been handed the responsibility of captaining India A in a four-day games against Australia A which begins from September 16.
“No one can understand the pain I went through. I was totally paralysed in one leg. With spine surgery, you can place a rod in the back and still manage. But a snapped nerve, which is what I had, is really, really dangerous. The pain was horrendous, running all the way down to my tiny toe. It was so scary,” Iyer said speaking to GQ India.
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“I can only control the controllable. I can only keep working on my skills and strength, and when the opportunity arises, I’ll grab it with both hands,” he added.
Iyer’s absence from the Asia Cup 2025 squad came as a shock for many as he played a crucial role in India’s Champions Trophy win and also had a stellar IPL season. He was the highest run-scorer for India in the Champions Trophy 2025 and second highest amongst all the teams. Even in IPL 2025, he led Punjab Kings to the finals against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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But one of the toughest challenge that came his way was in 2023, just months after the ODI World Cup concluded. He suffered a serious back injury and it became so severe that he was temporarily paralysed. Most of 2024 he spent on the sidelines and was going through a rehabilitation process. Iyer was even dropped from the BCCI’s central contract list but he made a stunning comeback but despite all the heroics, he again finds himself on the sidelines.
