“I was nervous last night, couldn’t sleep” - Shreyas Iyer excited for comeback in India vs Pakistan match
Team India batter Shreyas Iyer recently spoke about making his comeback with a high-profile clash against Pakistan in the 2023 Asia Cup. Iyer cleared a late fitness test following a couple of match simulation drills to be part of the squad for the continental tournament in Sri Lanka.
Iyer last played for India in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar series, before undergoing surgery to treat his back injury. As a result, the right-handed batter missed out on the 2023 Indian Premier League and the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
However, Shreyas Iyer made a timely comeback just when the management was fretting over the middle-order.
Revealing that he was nervous with excitement at the prospect of playing against Team India's arch-rivals, the batter said in an interview with the broadcasters ahead of the high-octane clash:
"I never imagined I'll be playing Asia Cup. The recovery was slow and steady. I passed the fitness test one week before selection, and I was really happy with that. I was nervous last night, couldn't sleep. I am super excited to play this match against Pakistan. It's a phenomenal feeling to be honest as they are the number 1 team at the moment."
India and Pakistan last faced each other in the 50-over format during the 2019 ODI World Cup, which was shortly after Iyer made his first strides in international cricket.
The two sides have also faced each other across the last couple of Asia Cup and T20 World Cup editions, but he was not part of the squad or the playing XI.
"The spirits are high in the dressing room and we are looking forward to this game" - Shreyas Iyer
The 2023 Asia Cup serves as the beginning of the final phase of Team India's preparation for the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Men in Blue are also scheduled to play a three-match ODI series against Australia at home before the showpiece evnt.
Team India failed to qualify for the final of the previous edition of the Asia Cup following defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super Fours stage.
Shreyas Iyer stated that he is privileged to be part of the current setup under Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma.
"We are privileged to be a part of this team and journey with Rahul sir (Dravid) as the coach and under Rohit Sharma's captaincy," he elaborated. "The spirits are high in the dressing room and we are looking forward to this game. Delighted to be playing against these (Afridi, Rauf, Naseem) bowlers, plan is just to watch the ball and play according to the situation."
Team India have won the toss and opted to bat first. Mohammed Shami misses out on the playing XI, while Shreyas Iyer is expected to bat at No.4 on his return to the national setup.