You Have Got To Be Patient With Shreyas Iyer With World Cup Coming Up: Abhishek Nayar

Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has urged the Indian team management to be patient with Shreyas Iyer. The right-handed batsman has endured a frustrating time in recent months due to a recurring back injury.

The Kolkata Knight Riders captain suffered a back injury during the Ahmedabad Test against Australia in March this year. He had to undergo surgery and missed the IPL, the World Test Championship final as well as the tour of West Indies. Shreyas Iyer made his much-awaited return to competitive cricket in the recently-concluded Asia Cup 2023.

His comeback, however, did not go according to the plan. He could play only two games in the Asia Cup before being sidelined again with back spasm. He missed the entire Super 4 stage as well as the final against Sri Lanka. The Mumbai star, however, batted in the nets and is looking set to play in the upcoming series against Australia.

Talking about the back spasm, Abhishek Nayar said: “It was a concern, but he is good that he is coming back. It’s a spasm and with a spasm, you understand it is nothing serious. He got a couple of scans done and there was nothing serious and you understand he is going to come back.”

Abhishek Nayar urges patience for Shreyas Iyer:

Speaking further, Abhishek Nayar stated that one needs to have patience with ‘good players’ like Shreyas Iyer. There are calls from several quarters to drop the middle-order batsman from the World Cup as he is low on match practice. Nayar, however, has urged the Indian team management to give time to the batsman, saying:

“You have got to be patient with good players and I keep saying this ‘form is temporary and class is permanent’. Shreyas has that class. He has shown that and has performed as well.”

“It is whether or not he is fit enough to play, whether or not his body can take the workload of playing match after match. That is what you want to see. We all know that a player like Shreyas Iyer, in the middle order, against spin in Indian conditions, can counter-attack,” added the former India allrounder.

Shreyas Iyer resumed batting in the nets after recovering from back spasms during the Asia Cup and is likely to play in the first ODI against Australia on Friday (September 22). A good performance against Australia is likely to seal his spot as the number four in the Indian team.