Shreyas Iyer missed out on Asia Cup Super-4 clash against Pakistan due to back spasm.
At the toss, India skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that the middle-order batter sustained a back spasm that ruled him out of the marquee encounter.
Iyer underwent back surgery earlier this year and missed out on IPL 2023, WTC final and the tour of West Indies. He was declared fully fit before the Asia Cup and now the back spasm is a cause of concern for him and India.
Speaking to India Today, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar expressed his disappointment at the unfortunate turn of events for Shreyas.
"It's a worry definitely. If a player is out for 5-6 months due to an injury and then has it again with a month before World Cup, so yes it is an area of concern. Luckily, you can make changes in your World Cup team, and in case he is unfit and doesn't recover then there will be somebody who will replace him. It is sad because he looked good in that match against Pakistan. He played a lovely cover drive," Gavaskar stated.
On the other hand, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh said that NCA should be held accountable given the rise of repeated injury cases among players.
KL Rahul replaced Shreyas Iyer in the playing XI for the match against Pakistan. It was a comeback match for Rahul, who was out of action since May due to thigh surgery and the subsequent rehabilitation.
"Injuries are part and parcel of the game. But getting injured that often is either bad luck or you are making a position for KL Rahul. I think getting injured at this point in time is going to hurt his position in the team as well and make things correct for KL Rahul. It is very worrying that players are getting injured again and again and it is mostly to do with the kind of training they do. So that is the question NCA needs to answer because that is where players go and rehabilitate and train themselves. And what KL Rahul brings to this table is stability in the batting line-up," Harbhajan told India Today.