'Things didn't go my way': Test comeback on Iyer’s mind amid injury setbacks

Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer on Saturday expressed his desire to make a comeback to the Indian Test squad emphasising the hard work he has put into cultivating patience and resilience for the longer format after undergoing back surgeryThe 29yearold who had been battling a recurring back injury for which he underwent surgery last year scored his first century in redball cricket since his Test debut nearly three years ago during the Ranji Trophy 202425 secondround match against Maharashtra His last firstclass ton was against New Zealand in the Kanpur Test in November 2021It feels special coming back after a very long time Obviously I was feeling a bit down with my injuries but now getting a century after a very long time its a great feeling overall Iyer told reporters at the end of days playI am absolutely keen for a comeback but as we say control the controllables and my job is to keep performing and keep participating as much as possible and also see to it that my body is in best shapeIyer who was also dropped from the BCCI central contract list earlier this year last featured in the home Test series against England in February and although he participated in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in August he emphasised his strong desire to play redball cricketAbsolutely the drive is still to play Tests Thats why Ive been playing I mean or else I would have given a reason and sat outAlso ReadSarfaraz Khan asserts his position as a first XI contender with majestic 150In the last five firstclass games including in the Duleep Trophy Irani Trophy and Ranji Trophy 202425 Iyer has scored three fifties and a 40 in 10 inningsAsked about missing out on the Test team Iyer said I had addressed my feeling during the longer format and things didnt go my way But Im in good space right now Im doing what Im meant to doAll the matches Ive played right now in the past have helped me gain that fitness level as well along with my training program This is my seventh match on the trot and the body has taken a lot of load at the same time So we have to manage here and there and see to it that I strategise in terms of how I playI have to be smart in terms of what decisions I take I need to see to it that my body is in best shape possible and I have to decide according to that I have to listen to my body because I know the amount of threshold Ive carried over the last few years and based on that Ill be taking the right decision and I hope that my team will also back meIyer made a comeback in the Asia Cup last year after recovering from a back injury and went on to participate in the ODI World Cup in OctoberNovemberIn early 2024 he was selected for the first two home Tests against England but was subsequently omitted from the remaining three matchesAlso Read Ranji Trophy 202425 Mumbairsquos Thakur anticipates intense rivalry in Maharashtrian derbyAsked if he fears the injury could come back he said Not anymoreThe surgery was last year and after that I played the World Cup Asia Cup and many more matches There was this phase where I was feeling that it might occur again but I trained a lot to see to it that I have optimum fitness And obviously it comes here and there but now my capacity has improved a lotIyer who led the Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title earlier this year spoke about his training post the back surgeryI improved my longdistance running Increased my patience as well in terms of the longer format I did intensive training like I was stressing up my body pushing my body 400800 metres of running I was trying to push my limits and seeing to it that I was at the best fitness possibleJoining hands with his 17yearold teammate Ayush Mhatre the pair put up a 200run stand helping Mumbai take a sizeable leadNowadays when the teams come up they straight away put a defensive field right from ball one so I was just trying to take some time in between trying to play more balls than scoring shotsSo that was my plan play session by session and try to see how much my body can takeWith agency inputs