By Ivashree
“I was partially paralysed,” Shreyas Iyer opens up on the Injury that nearly ended his career.
For most fans Shreyas Iyer is the elegant stroke maker in India’s middle order known for his calm under pressure and bold stroke play. But few knew the quiet storm he was weathering off the field. In a recent heart wrenching GQ interview, Iyer revealed that a severe back injury had once left him partially paralyzed threatening to end his cricketing journey altogether.
“It was horrendous,” he admitted. “I was in excruciating pain from my lower back all the way to my right toe. I couldn’t even describe it.” The cause? A slipped disc that compressed a spinal nerve ultimately “snapping” under stress. Iyer, just 28 then, was suddenly unable to walk without pain. Medication and rest didn’t help. Eventually, doctors told him he needed immediate spinal surgery. A metal rod was inserted in his back.
“I couldn’t feel my right leg properly. I had lost sensation. That’s when I knew it was serious,” he said. It’s a nightmare scenario for any athlete. For Iyer, who had already become a key figure in India’s white ball setup, it was devastating. The road back was long post surgery with observation in London. Three punishing months of rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and the pain lingered. “Even when I thought I was getting better, the pain would return. It was a mental battle as much as a physical one.”
During this period Iyer was dropped from India’s central contracts, a blow he said was “tough to take” but also motivating. “It made me hungrier. I wanted to prove I belonged.” And against all odds, Iyer returned to India’s playing XI ahead of the 2023 Asia Cup, followed by the ODI World Cup, reminding everyone of his class. With over 100 international appearances to his name (10 Tests, 42 ODIs, 49 T20Is), his story is no longer just about talent, it’s about heart.
“I’ve come out of it stronger,” he says “It’s made me appreciate every single day I get to wear the India jersey.”