Shreyas Iyer vows to come back stronger after shoulder injury rules him out of England ODIs

Pune: India batsman Shreyas Iyer on Thursday vowed to come back stronger following a shoulder injury that ruled him out of the ongoing ODI series against England as well as the entire IPL 2021.

The 26-year-old Iyer dislocated his left shoulder while fielding during the first ODI against England on Tuesday and he is set to undergo surgery, which may rule him out of action for a minimum four months.

“You know what they say, the greater the setback, the stronger the comeback. I shall be back soon,” Iyer tweeted.

He also thanked fans and well-wishers for their messages of support.

“I’ve been reading your messages and have been overwhelmed by all the outpouring of love and support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone,” he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal said he was gutted by the news of Iyer’s injury and wished the Delhi Capitals captain a speedy recovery.

“Absolutely devastated and gutted for our skipper @ShreyasIyer15 - stay strong captain - hope for a very quick recovery. Have full faith that you will come back even stronger from this. India needs you in the T20 World Cup. @DelhiCapitals @BCCI ,” Mr Jindal tweeted.

Delhi Capitals, who will open their IPL 2020 campaign against 3-time champions Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai on April 10, will feel the pain of Iyer’s injury considering he is not only their leader but also a key batsman in the top order.

The batsman had a prolific IPL season in 2020 and led the Capitals to the final, in which they lost to the Mumbai Indians. He was the fourth-highest run-scorer then, and second-highest for the Capitals, with a tally of 519 runs behind KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner.

In Iyer’s absence, the candidates for captaincy in DC include the likes of Rishabh Pant, Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith and R Ashwin. (UNI)