Sydney: Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital in Sydney after suffering a serious injury to his left ribcage while taking a catch in the ODI against Australia on Saturday.
The Indian vice-captain had to be admitted as internal bleeding was detected in the chest area. He is stable though and doctors are keeping him under observation to prevent any infection. It may take up to a week before doctors declare him fit enough to return to India, it has been reported.
Iyer was fielding at backward point during the match when he ran backward to take a brilliant catch to dismiss Alex Carey. He fell heavily on his chest in the process, injuring his ribcage.
The 31-year-old cricketer was helped back to the dressing room. The BCCI medical team reacted promptly after Iyer’s vitals started fluctuating, moving him to a hospital.
“The team doctor and physio didn’t take any chances and took him to the hospital immediately. Things are stable now, but it could have been fatal. He’s a tough lad and should be fine soon,” a source has been quoted as saying.
It was initially said that Iyer would be out of action for three weeks. It now seems that the wait for his return to the game may be longer. He will require more time to recover as there was internal bleeding, doctors have said.
Thankfully, he is not part of India’s T10I squad that plays its first match against Australia on Wednesday.
The injury highlights the pressure in competitive sports like cricket today. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant suffered an injury during India’s tour of England and it took him several weeks to recover fully.
