Shreyas Iyer out of ICU, recovering from spleen injury in Sydney

BCCI says Indian cricketer, seen clutching his ribs after taking a catch in India's ODI match against Australia, is stable but remains under close watch

Shreyas Iyer after sustaining an injury while taking a catch during the third ODI match between India and Australia in Sydney on 25 October | PTI

New Delhi: Middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer has been shifted out of intensive care and is recovering well from a spleen laceration suffered during India’s ODI against Australia in Sydney, the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India said on Monday.

The 30-year-old sustained an impact injury to his left lower rib cage while fielding during the match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 25 October, taking an acrobatic catch to dismiss Alex Carey off Harshit Rana’s bowling. He was taken to hospital for evaluation after being assisted off the field by medical staff.

Scans showed laceration to his spleen along with internal bleeding. His vitals are stable and he is responding positively to treatment, remaining under close observation at a Sydney hospital.

“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,” BCCI said in a statement on Monday.

Iyer was seen clutching his ribs in pain after taking the catch. The Indian team’s travelling doctor, Dr Rizwan Khan, remains with him in Sydney to evaluate day-to-day progress, BCCI said.

A family member is expected to fly in from Mumbai once visa formalities are completed—a process delayed slightly due to the weekend, according to reports.

The injury casts serious doubt over Iyer’s participation in the upcoming home ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to begin on 30 November.

Iyer’s absence would be a significant blow given his recent form. In the just-concluded three-match series against Australia, he scored 72 runs in two games, including a 61 off 77 balls in Adelaide where he forged a century partnership with Rohit Sharma.

Across 11 matches and 10 innings this year, Iyer accumulated 496 runs at an average of 49.6 and a strike rate of 89.5, with five half-centuries. He was also India’s leading run-scorer in their ICC Champions Trophy-winning campaign, finishing with 243 runs in five innings.

Separately, the Indian team has reached Canberra ahead of the first of five T20 internationals against Australia on 29 October.

(Edited by Prerna Madan)