The Australian all-rounder suffered a serious back injury in 2004, and things reached a stage where he was completely bedridden, unable even to walk. Doctors told him that he would need to undergo surgery, and would never be able to play cricket again. “The back injury was very tough and it just wasn’t getting fixed. I was in heavy pain and it threatened me from leading a normal life. Experts said surgery could help but my cricket would be over. I couldn’t take that advice lightly because it was a question of my health,” Carseldine told The Indian Express on Monday.

Then, after he went through the operation — with a steel rod and screws fitted in his spine — he suffered a post-op infection that left his lower back and hips completely immobile for a few weeks. “After a while, my back felt fine but I was missing cricket. So I started playing some club matches, and since I enjoyed some success, slowly my confidence returned and I wanted some bigger cricket,” said Carseldine, who was out of serious cricket for almost three years.

“I don’t know if I’m the bravest man in cricket. But from where I was, to start playing cricket again... doctors called me up to say that it was a miracle according to their books. I was brave in not giving up hope, in picking up the bat after all that had happened,” he added after a hectic training session. Even now, he has a titanium box inserted in his spine for support.

Carseldine made an immediate impact in his IPL debut against Deccan Chargers on Saturday, scoring 39 before being given lbw even though replays suggested he’d got an inside edge. “I guess it was bad luck, but that’s cricket. Anyway, I’m used to bad luck,” he said. The three years he lost were when he was peaking in domestic cricket for Queensland, and dreaming of an Australia cap.

He got a return contract with the Queensland Bulls and made an emotional comeback to first-class cricket in November 2007. Since then he’s enjoyed a successful Twenty20 run, and the performance landed him an IPL contract. “It’s a great experience to be playing in the IPL along with an array of international players. It’s like living the dream of an international career,” he said.

Rajasthan coach Darren Berry said Carseldine’s hallmark was his composure. “He was the T20 player of the series this season in Australia. He is an experienced player. I thought his partnership with Jadeja was crucial in the last game. Back home we all felt that he had something to offer to our side given that Shane Watson was now missing,” said Berry.

Carseldine still needs treatment from the masseur and separate independent sessions with the physiotherapist before matches. But he’s playing the game, and enjoying it too.