He picked up the injury in Australia last year, keeping him out of the South Africa ODI series.
India ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer has revealed the details of his painful spleen injury, which he sustained during the Australia tour last year. He returned to the India squad for the ongoing IND vs NZ ODI series, missing the three-match series against South Africa at home in December.
As he prepared for the IND vs NZ 2nd ODI in Rajkot on January 14, Iyer shared how he felt during the spleen injury that kept him out of action for several weeks. The 31-year-old Mumbai batter mentioned that he had not heard the word ‘spleen’ before.
“It was painful, excruciatingly painful. I didn’t realise how serious that injury was until I learned that the spleen is an important organ in our body, and I didn’t even know the word. Then the next day, when I was in the hospital, I realised, ‘Wow, okay, this was a severe injury.’ Yes, that day I learned a new word: spleen,” Shreyas Iyer said.
The incident took place during the third ODI in Sydney in October while attempting a catch at square leg when Shreyas Iyer suffered a spleen laceration that led to internal bleeding. Promoted to vice-captain ahead of the Australia ODI series, Shreyas walked off immediately with visible pain and ended up in the hospital for observation before starting a tough recovery.
Shreyas Iyer noted that the recovery time played a crucial role in changing his mindset, as he struggled to avoid rushing back to play. He also mentioned that he is someone who finds it hard to sit still and always wants to be active, and extra time was necessary for him to prevent overexertion. This injury allowed him time to reflect, recover, and relax as much as possible as he followed the proper guidelines.
Making his comeback to competitive cricket, the Mumbai batter shone in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26. Shreyas Iyer made a remarkable quick-fire 82 off 53, against Himachal, at an impressive strike rate of 154.71, featuring 10 fours and three sixes. This highlighted that time off from cricket has not affected his form. He returned to the India squad for the New Zealand series and played a composed 47-ball 49-run knock in the 1st IND vs NZ ODI.
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With injury clouds looming over Washington Sundar and Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer boasts an outside chance to break into the squad as the T20 World Cup 2026 inches closer, starting February 7.
His performances in ODI cricket and for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the last two seasons further strengthen his case. Shreyas Iyer is India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in ODI cricket since the ODI 2023 World Cup at home. He has scored 553 runs in 12 innings, averaging 46.08 with a strike rate of 89.48. He has five fifties.
Shreyas Iyer also won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024 for Mumbai and led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third title in IPL 2024. In his first season with Punjab Kings, he took the team to the final for the first time in 10 years. He also top-scored for the team, amassing 604 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07, including five fifties, underlining his ability perform in crucial matches and win titles.
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