'Winning Ranji Trophy and IPL apt answer to whatever happened' - Shreyas Iyer's message to BCCI on contract snub
Published - 07 Jun 2024, 08:23 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:13 AM
Shreyas Iyer has opened up on the fitness issue that he was having after the ODI World Cup last year. The right-handed batsman has said that he wanted to work on his body but lack of communication eventually saw him lose his place in the Indian team as well as the central contract.
After suffering a back injury for the first time in March last year, Shreyas Iyer recovered in time for the Asia Cup in September. He then went on to play in the ODI World Cup as well and enjoyed a stellar campaign. He finished the tournament as the third-highest run-scorer for India, scoring an impressive 530 runs with the help of with the help of two centuries and three half-centuries as India finished runners-up.
After the ODI World Cup, he was selected in the Test team for the tour of South Africa. He played in both the games against South Africa in January but failed to do well. Later in the same month, he also made his first appearance in the Ranji Trophy since the 2018-19 season.
The Mumbai star was also included in the India squad for the five-match Test series against England at home. However, he was dropped from the team after the first two Tests. Reports at that time stated that the batter was experiencing back spasms but was cleared for selection.
With the BCCI making it mandatory for the players to play for the state team when not a part of the Indian team, Iyer was expected to play for Mumbai. However, he missed the Ranji Trophy games due to the back issue even though he had been cleared for selection by the BCCI medical staff. His decision to skip the games did not go down well with the BCCI and they decided against giving him a central contract for the 2024-25 season.
Shreyas Iyer opens up on his injury and the decision that went against him:
On Friday (June 7), Shreyas Iyer posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he opened up on the entire episode. The batting star said that he wanted to take a break after the ODI World Cup to work on his body but was let down by miscommunication.
He further said that he wanted to respond to the setback by doing well with the bat before expressing his delight over being able to win the Ranji Trophy and the IPL.
"I had a tremendous World Cup. I wanted to take a break after that, work on my body & build my strength around certain areas - due to lack of communication, there were some decisions that didn’t go in my favour," said Iyer.
"At the end of the day the bat is always going to be in my hand and it’s up to me to perform and win trophies. I knew that once I win the Ranji Trophy and the IPL, that will be an apt answer to whatever happened in the past. Thankfully, everything fell in the right place. We have a lot more trophies to win in the future," he added.
