“I never imagined I'll be playing Asia Cup”- Shreyas Iyer excited to play against Pakistan

Shreyas Iyer last played an ODI in January 2023 against Sri Lanka.

India batter Shreyas Iyer was elated at the opportunity to play in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 tournament and was also excited to go against Pakistan at the Pallekele cricket stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka on September 2, 2023.

Iyer had been out of contention since March 2023 after he suffered a reoccurrence of his lower back issues for which he had to undergo surgery, and had to missed the IPL 2023 and had a long rehab and recovery at the NCA.

However, he worked hard and got fitter and finally received the green signal from the doctors and medical staff at the NCA and was named in the Indian squad for the Asia Cup 2023 tournament.

Having played his last ODI in January against Sri Lanka, Iyer was named in the Indian XI for the crucial Pakistan match in the Asia Cup and shared his views on returning to the team after injury.

“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,” Shreyas Iyer was quoted by Starsports.

Delighted to be playing against Pakistan - Shreyas Iyer

This is the 14th time India and Pakistan are playing against one another in Asia Cup and Shreyas Iyer said that it was a delight for him to play against the no.1 ranked ODI side in the world. Notably, Pakistan defeated Nepal in the Asia Cup tournament opener in Multan.

“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. 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,” Iyer added.

India won the toss and Rohit Sharma chose to bat first.

India playing XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan(w), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Pakistan playing XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf