Stylish India batter Shreyas Iyer missed the marquee Asia Cup Super 4s contest with a back spasm, which according to captain Rohit Sharma, he picked just before the toss. It was a fresh blow to Iyer, who only recently made his return to international cricket during the group stage match against the Men in Green. Iyer's back spasm meant that KL Rahul made his comeback to India's playing XI.
Iyer's latest injury woe didn't sit well with former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and ex-spinner Harbhajan Singh. The two stalwarts of Indian cricket once again sparked a debate on players' continued battle with nagging injuries.
"It's a worry definitely. If a player is out for 5-6 months due to an injury and then has it again with a month before World Cup, so yes it is an area of concern. Luckily, you can make changes in your World Cup team, and in case he is unfit and doesn't recover then there will be somebody who will replace him. It is sad because he looked good in that match against Pakistan. He played a lovely cover drive," Gavaskar said on India Today.
Harbhajan switched focus on the training regime of Indian cricketers and put the onus on the National Cricket Academy (NCA) staff in Bengaluru, the place where injured players head for rehabilitation.
"Injuries are part and parcel of the game. But getting injured that often is either bad luck or you are making a position for KL Rahul. I think getting injured at this point in time is going to hurt his position in the team as well and make things correct for KL Rahul," said Harbhajan
"It is very worrying that players are getting injured again and again and it is mostly to do with the kind of training they do. So that is the question NCA needs to answer because that is where players go and rehabilitate and train themselves. And what KL Rahul brings to this table is stability in the batting line-up," he added.
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