Shreyas Iyer has been moved out of the intensive care unit (ICU) of a Sydney hospital after he was injured during the third ODI on Saturday. His condition is stated to be “stable”.
The middle-order batter suffered a laceration to the spleen after crashing to the ground following a catch to dismiss Alex Carey. He immediately clutched his rib cage and signalled for medical attention.
“Shreyas Iyer sustained an impact injury to his left lower rib cage region while fielding during the third ODI against Australia. He was taken to the hospital for further evaluation,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said in a release on Monday. “Scans have revealed a laceration injury to the spleen.
“He is under treatment, medically stable, and recovering well. The BCCI medical team, in consultation with specialists in Sydney and India, is closely monitoring his injury status. The Indian team doctor will remain in Sydney with Shreyas to evaluate his day-to-day progress.”
Iyer is expected to remain in hospital for a few more days. The BCCI is in touch with
his family and his parents will fly to Sydney from Mumbai once the visa formalities are completed.
“There was some internal bleeding but things are under control now. We are expecting him to be fine later this week and he will soon be discharged,” a BCCI official told The Telegraph.
Iyer’s family and the BCCI do not want to rush him back home and he is expected to stay put in Sydney till he attains full recovery.
He didn’t field for the remainder of the innings and was rushed to the hospital after he complained of pain in his rib cage. India won the
ODI by nine wickets in a 237-run chase with Man of the Series Rohit Sharma (121 not
out) and Virat Kohli (74 not out) involved in a match-winning partnership.
Iyer has been bothered by a back injury since the 2023 World Cup. He had written to chief selector Ajit Agarkar that he would be taking a ‘break from red ball cricket’ for some time due to stiffness in his back.
The five-match T20I series gets underway on Wednesday in Canberra, followed by matches in Melbourne and Hobart. Iyer isn’t part of the T20I squad.
India next play an ODI series against South Africa, which begins on November 30 in Ranchi.
It is still uncertain if Iyer will recover for the three-match series against South Africa in a month’s time. He will have to undergo rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru once he is back in India after being discharged from hospital.
Iyer has been in good form in the 50-over format and played a key role in the Champions Trophy triumph in Dubai earlier this year. He was the team’s top scorer with 243 runs in five matches at an average of 48.60.
In the ODI series in Australia, he managed 72 runs in two games, including a crucial 61 off 77 balls in the second match in Adelaide.
