“I was feeling a bit lonely” - Shreyas Iyer opens up on tough phase while dealing with injuries
Team India batter Shreyas Iyer has admitted that dealing with constant injury and fitness issues was a tough phase for him and there were times when he felt lonely. He thanked his family, physios, and trainers for backing him and keeping his spirits high.
Under pressure to deliver, Shreyas came up with the goods in the second ODI against Australia in Indore on Sunday, smashing 105 off 90 balls. The 28-year-old was named Player of the Match for his fantastic innings as India won the game by 99 runs [DLS method] and clinched the three-match series with a game in hand.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Shreyas opened up on the emotions of dealing with multiple injury setbacks over the last few months.
"Yeah, it was definitely a rollercoaster ride. I would like to thank myself, to be honest, for believing, at that point in time, on my abilities and also my mindset. I was feeling a bit lonely at that point of time, but thanks to my physios, my trainers and my family, to back me at that point of time, and I'm grateful to have them around," he said.
"These are all these people being around me and lifting my spirits high. That motivated me to stay positive and optimistic at the same time. So I'm thankful, and I'm grateful,” Shreyas added.
Having recovered from a back injury, the batter was named in the Indian team for the Asia Cup. He made a comeback during the group match against Pakistan but suffered another setback as he missed the Super 4 round matches as well as the final due to back spasms.
“My mind was fluctuating at times” - Shreyas Iyer
The right-handed batter admitted that, despite trying his best to stay positive, his mind did fluctuate at times. Shreyas, however, added that he remained firm about shutting out the outside noise.
“I keep telling myself that the competition is against me. It’s about my mindset - how I maintain especially when the chips are down. I’ve been eagerly waiting for this opportunity and finally I got one. Today, thankfully, I got to score a century. My mind was fluctuating at times, but I was trying to stay away from the outside noise as much as possible - turn a deaf ear. As they say, ignorance is bliss," the batter explained.
“Just taking one step at a time, being in the present and not thinking much about what happened and what will happen,” he added.
Shreyas and Shubman Gill (104 off 97) added 200 for the second wicket as India posted 399/5 in Indore. Chasing a revised target of 317 in 33 overs, Australia were bowled out for 217 in 28.2 overs.