India batter Shreyas Iyer has stepped up his return to cricket as he resumed training in the nets and arrived at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru ahead of the New Zealand ODI series, slated to begin on January 11.
Shreyas has been on the sidelines ever since he landed awkwardly while taking a catch to dismiss Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey during the third ODI at SCG on October 25. The Indian ODI vice-captain was immediately rushed to the hospital after scans ascertained a “laceration injury to the spleen.”
The 31-year-old had to undergo a minor procedure to control internal bleeding and was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for observation before being discharged once his condition stabilised.
After making a gradual recovery, Iyer has checked into the BCCI CoE for rehab and fitness and assessment. On Friday (December 26), he shared a picture of him at the CoE in Bengaluru on his Instagram stories along with a video of him batting in the nets at the Cricket Club Of India (CCI).
The clip showed Shreyas performing some light work inside the nets and playing a few confident shots. In the video, the right-hander was also seen wearing a protective gear over the area where he had sustained injury during the Australia tour.
Here’s the full video:
As a result of the spleen injury, Shreyas Iyer missed the series against South Africa with Ruturaj Gaikwad batting at his No.4 spot. Despite making encouraging progress in his recovery, Iyer's participation in India's three ODIs against New Zealand next month appears to be uncertain as of now.
