Cricket, with all its protective gear, seems to be harmless. However, on some occasions, the game turns deadly

Cricket cannot be described as a contact sport like boxing or even football, which sees a fair bit of tackling and tussling among players. However, cricket, while it seems a safe game with several protective gears, can be deadly at times. The darkest moment in cricket was undoubtedly in 2014 when Australia’s Phil Hughes was struck on the neck by a bouncer, which led to his unfortunate demise.

Since then, several steps have been taken to make the game as safe as possible. However, no sport is 100 per cent safe, and recently the injury to India’s Shreyas Iyer put everyone on edge.

A dive that could’ve taken his life

(Credit- IPL.com)

During the third ODI against Australia, played on October 25, 2025, Iyer was fielding when a ball from Alex Carey went up in the air. Iyer ran towards the ball but needed to dive to catch it. He dived but couldn’t land safely on the field, because of which he suffered an injury. While Carey was dismissed, pain hit Iyer immediately, as he couldn’t move his leg and had to be taken off the field. The injury landed him in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a Sydney hospital.

A grave spleen injury

Doctors explained that when Iyer hit the group, he hurt his rib cage, which also led to the laceration of his spleen and caused internal bleeding. For the unversed, the spleen is a vital organ in the human body, considered an “immune powerhouse,” that filters blood, removes ageing red blood cells, and supports the body’s overall immune system.

Update from Shreyas Iyer

(Credit- Wikipedia)

Iyer was discharged from the hospital on November 1 but remains in Sydney for follow-up consultations. On November 10, the player himself took to his social media and posted a picture of himself on the beach with a caption that read, “Sun's been a great therapy. Grateful to be back, Thanks for all the love and care”

No quick comeback

Shreyas Iyer is expected to return to India soon, but he is unlikely to return to cricket before January. In fact, there is even a possibility that he will miss the India versus New Zealand series scheduled for January 2026. While health is above all, if Iyer is unable to return to cricket soon, he may not be part of India’s T20 squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

As the year comes to an end, we are truly delighted that Iyer is recovering and hope to see him back on the pitch soon.