Iyer, who last played for India against Australia in March, had to undergo a surgery for a back injury that was troubling him for a while.
“I never imagined I’ll be playing in the Asia Cup.
The recovery was slow and steady. I passed the fitness test one week before selection, and I was really happy with that,” said Iyer while talking to the official broadcaster before the start of the match inKandy, Sri Lanka.
Iyer, who previously represented India in 10 Tests, 42 ODIs and 49 T20Is, was feeling jittery last night and hardly slept as if he was going to play his debut match.
“I was nervous last night, couldn’t sleep. I am super excited to play this match against Pakistan. It’s a phenomenal feeling to be honest as they are the number 1 team at the moment.”
“We are privileged to be a part of this team and journey with Rahul sir (Dravid) as the coach and under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. The spirits are high in the dressing room and we are looking forward to this game. Delighted to be playing against these (Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah) bowlers, plan is just to watch the ball and play according to the situation,” added Iyer.