Shreyas Iyer :Having scored a plethora of runs in the last few years, Shreyas Iyer, arguably, has been the most unlucky player as compared to all his allies, given the number of chances being offered to them at the highest level.
Making his International debut in the year 2017, Iyer has played six matches for team India till now of which the Delhi Capitals captain has scored 210 runs in five innings at an impressive average of 42.0.
In a quest to find a solid middle order batsman for the World Cup, team India tried several cricketers with the likes of Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane etc, eventually sticking with Ambati Rayudu to be their ideal number-four batsman. Perhaps, the selectors have been too harsh on Iyer for not being given too many chances in order to bag his place in the Indian Team, given that the right-handed batsman has been consistently performing in the domestic cricket in the last 2-3 years.
Since 2014, Iyer has been one of the highest run-getters in the Ranji amongst all his allies without much luck in his favour. The 24-year-old batsman scored 809 runs in his debut Ranji session with a healthy average of 50.56, while in the year 2015-16 he compiled 1321 runs at an average of 73.39. He was the top scorer of the Ranji Trophy that year. Even after not being picked until then, Shreyas kept on going, amassing 725 runs in the 2016-17. Such has been the struggle for every Indian cricketer to earn a selection for the national side.
Shreyas was handed his debut cap in the year 2017 against Sri Lanka. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring two half-centuries in three innings.
However, in his next assignment against South Africa in 2018, the 24-year-old batsman had only scored 48 runs in 2 matches and since then went off the radar at the time of selections. Iyer, however, doesn’t stress much on the selections and keeps on concentrating on whatever opportunities are coming his way.
Recently, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the Mumbai Capitals struck two centuries, hitting as many as 28 sixes in the last three matches he played in the series. The 24-year-old broke Rishabh Pant’s record for the highest T-20 score by an Indian batsman, amassing 147 runs in just 55 deliveries in the game against Sikkim on Thursday.
Off late, in an interview with SportsStar, Iyer credits Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting’s for his performances, helping him achieve the ladder to greater success.
“You really get goosebumps when you sit and listen to Rahul Dravid. He is always reinforcing certain points from the game. It reflects on our performances. All those points are important to us whether we perform or not. He has always been there, backing us and giving us freedom.” Iyer said.
“Ponting is a very optimistic guy. He is always talking about winning. I really love his body language. Last year, when we were in a bad condition in the initial phase of the tournament, his body language to win all the time really helped. He is a good guy to be around as he treats everyone equally. There is no senior or junior in the team and that’s what we want as a team from the coach.”
With the kind of form Iyer is in, this might be the breakthrough IPL season for Shreyas Iyer. What do you think? Tell us in the comment section.
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