Indian ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer is now in stable condition and has been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit at a Sydney hospital. The cricketer suffered a severe ruptured spleen and rib cage injury during the third One-Day International against Australia, the BCCI confirmed on Tuesday.
The unfortunate incident occurred when Iyer was attempting to catch Alex Carey off Harshit Rana’s bowling. While he initially left the field with the team physio, his condition rapidly deteriorated as his vital signs dropped, necessitating immediate hospitalization.
Overseeing Shreyas’ critical progress are Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, the BCCI’s head of medical services, and team doctor Rizwan Khan.
Dr. Pardiwala, currently in Mumbai, maintains continuous communication with Dr. Rizwan, who remained in Sydney to provide direct care to Shreyas.
Dr. Pardiwala specifically commended the swift actions of the on-field medical team, acknowledging their crucial role in averting a potentially life-threatening situation.
Subsequent medical tests confirmed internal bleeding due to a lacerated spleen, which necessitated his immediate admission to the ICU for continuous and rigorous monitoring.
According to a statement from the BCCI, “The injury was promptly identified, and the bleeding was immediately arrested. His condition is now stable, and he continues to be under observation.” The statement further added, “A repeat scan done on Tuesday, October 28, has shown significant improvement, and Shreyas is on the road to recovery.” The BCCI Medical Team, in close consultation with specialists in both Sydney and India, will continue to oversee his rehabilitation.
India’s T20 captain, Suryakumar Yadav, spoke about Iyer’s improving health from Canberra. “We are not doctors,” he noted. “From the outside, when the catch was taken, it appeared normal. But none of us were there. Only those who were present can truly explain what happened. They conveyed that upon examination, he required serious medical attention, and he was quickly transported to a specialist where we were informed of his condition.”
Yadav added, “After that, we spoke with him. When he was talking normally, we felt that things were looking up because the doctors and physios had informed us it was an unfortunate, rare incident. However, sometimes rare incidents occur to rare talents.”