India batter Shreyas Iyer has said he raised concerns about having issues with his back while playing the "longer format" after the 2023 ODI World Cup, but "no one was agreeing to it".
"I was definitely struggling after the World Cup in the longer format," Iyer, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, said a day before the IPL final against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Chennai. "When I raised my concern, no one was agreeing to it.
"But at the same time the competition is with myself. When the IPL was approaching all I wanted to see was that I've put my best foot forward and whatever planning and strategising we [KKR] did before it, basically if we could execute it to the best of our abilities, we would have been in a great spot - and that's where we are right now."
Iyer had recovered from a back injury to make a comeback in the Asia Cup last year, before playing the ODI World Cup in October-November. Then, in early 2024, he was picked for the first two home Tests against England, before being left out for the remaining three Tests. At the time, it was understood that Iyer had experienced back spasms a day or two after the second Test but had been cleared for selection. Then, while out of the Test squad, he went on to miss some Ranji Trophy games for his domestic side, Mumbai. ESPNcricinfo had reported that he had communicated to the Mumbai Cricket Association that he was suffering from "back spasms", even though he had been cleared for selection by the BCCI medical staff.
It had also emerged that Iyer had attended a KKR pre-season camp when he missed one of the Ranji Trophy games. He later returned to play the Ranji Trophy semis and final, but by then had lost his central BCCI contract. A few days earlier, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had issued a warning to players to not to prioritise the IPL over domestic cricket. Iyer lost his central contract despite having fulfilled the minimum criteria set by the board in terms of matches played.
A couple of weeks later, during the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha, Iyer was not on the field for two days in a row because of back issues.
Talking about his preparations for the IPL, Iyer said: "The transformation from red-ball cricket to white ball, it's kind of difficult as a batsman and also as a bowler, I feel. It was kind of difficult at the start but once you get used to it, I think you pick up the pace and march on with the other players."