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'I Was Nervous & Sleepless...': Shreyas Iyer's Anticipation Ends in Early Exit

image-lm1zyw3wIyer has commented on the Ind-PAK Game [Twitter]

Moments before India’s opening game of Asia Cup 2023 against Pakistan on Saturday, Indian middle-order batsman, Shreyas Iyer was a bundle of mixed emotions.

Filled with excitement and tinged with nervousness, Shreyas revealed he spent a sleepless night on Friday, reflecting on the clash with Pakistan.

Shreyas Iyer opened up on his return for Asia Cup 2023

Earlier this year, during the Border-Gavaskar series with Australia, Iyer faced a significant setback due to a back injury that ruled him out of cricketing action for several months. He underwent surgery in April and his recovery journey spanned three months at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

Given the extent of his rehabilitation, Iyer's return to competitive cricket, especially the Asia Cup, seemed a distant dream. He shared his disbelief about being part of the Asia Cup, mentioning how the recovery process was slow yet consistent. His successful completion of the fitness test just a week before the team selection was a personal victory for him.

“I never imagined I’ll be playing in the Asia Cup. The recovery was slow and steady. I passed the fitness test one week before selection, and I was really happy with that,” said Iyer.



While discussing the high-octane match against the No. 1 ranked ODI side, Iyer couldn't mask his excitement and stated how he was nervous and couldn’t sleep.

“I was nervous last night, I 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,”  added the-28-year-old.

Keenly looking forward to facing off against Pakistan's ace bowlers like Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Iyer stated that his strategy was to remain sharply attuned to each ball and play as the situation demands.

“Delighted to be playing against these (Afridi, Rauf, Naseem) bowlers, plan is just to watch the ball and play according to the situation,” stated Iyer.

Despite his plan, Iyer's execution seemed a bit off the mark. After India won the toss and elected to bat, they suffered early blows with the dismissals of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The responsibility to anchor the innings fell on Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.

While Iyer began on a promising note, striking Rauf for two boundaries, his aggressive intent backfired. In a bid to accelerate the scoring, he played an impetuous pull shot only to be caught at mid-wicket after scoring 14 off just 9 balls.