'It was so scary': Shreyas Iyer recalls injury that 'paralysed one leg'; laments 'people see athletes as robots'

Shreyas Iyer recalls injury that 'paralysed one leg' (BCCI Photo)

Shreyas Iyer will be leading India A in two unofficial four-day Tests against Australia A. The Ekana Stadium in Lucknow will host the both the matches, with the first scheduled to start from September 16–19 and the second from September 23–26.

The year 2025 has been a mixed one for Iyer. He played a key role in India's successful campaign at the ICC Champions Trophy and followed it with another clinical show in the IPL. Despite the impressive effort, the middle-order batter was not considered for the Test series against England and now the Asia Cup.

But this setback was nothing as compared to the one he endured in 2023, which left him in agonising pain. Shortly after the 2023 World Cup at home, where India finished as the runners-up, Iyer picked a back injury which by his own admission "paralysed" one of his legs.

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The injury saw Iyer miss a significant amount of 2024 season but still managed to lead Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title. However, during this period he was also stripped of the BCCI's Central Contracts List.

“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 told GQ India in an interview.

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He is now well aware of his limitations and the need to correct any physical imbalance he senses. While mentioning this, the cricketer also had a very important message for fans, who are mostly unaware of the grind behind the camera.

“People see athletes as robots who have to perform in every game. They don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes,” he added.