IPL 2021 | Sitting and watching my teammates play was difficult for me, reveals Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer suffered a shoulder injury in the build-up to IPL 2021 which resulted in him missing out on the first half of the season. However, with COVID disrupting the IPL, Iyer now has a chance of playing his part in his team’s campaign. Having undergone surgery, the Mumbai-born player is back in the running and is keen to get started with his team again. He explained the struggles of dealing with his injury, and the following recovery process, by stating it was difficult to just sit and watch his team on TV. 

“Watching my teammates play and just sitting out was a very difficult thing for me. I was watching each and every game on TV. I was feeling like being on the ground and used to replicate the same scenario at my place. But, it’s now time to forget these things and concentrate on the remaining fixtures,” revealed Iyer, reported Hindustan Times.

With teams getting ready for the upcoming campaign, Delhi have also started their training camp in Dubai. Iyer also revealed that he joined the team almost a week before the start of practices to get into shape. He followed that up with a couple of good performances in the practice games against UAE and hopes to take the same momentum into the second leg of the IPL.

“To be honest, I am feeling on top of the world right now. It is always a good feeling to be among the team. I arrived here six days before the resumption of practice sessions and had two good games against UAE. I want to continue with the same momentum,” Iyer added.

With the tournament restarting after the break, team position on the table becomes crucial. The JSW and GMR co-owned franchise is currently on top of the points table with six wins and two losses in eight matches. Talking about the team strategy and approach for the remaining phase of the tournament, Iyer said, “We have discussed how we should move forward in the tournament. The conditions and weather here are different. Getting familiar with the playing conditions should be our first priority. This mindset will be helpful for us.”

The Delhi Capitals will lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22 in Dubai.

•  Nishad Bapat