Shreyas Iyer exposes Rohit Sharma-Gautam Gambhir politics after being inducted at the last moment

In a surprising revelation, Shreyas Iyer disclosed that he wouldn’t have featured in India’s playing XI for the first ODI against England if Virat Kohli hadn’t been injured. Shreyas Iyer said that his inclusion in the team was a last-minute decision following swelling in Virat Kohli's right knee on Wednesday night.

Shreyas has cemented his place at No. 4 for India in ODIs, solving a problem that plagued the team during the 2019 World Cup. Iyer was India’s third-highest run-scorer in the 2023 edition. He scored 530 runs at an impressive average of 66.25 and a strike rate of 113.24, including two centuries and three fifties.

The right-handed batter continued his brilliant form and played a crucial knock in the first ODI against England in Nagpur on February 6. He smashed a counter-attacking 59 off 36 to help India recover after a poor start during the powerplay. Iyer came to the crease when the team was 19/2 in a 249-run chase.

I Wasn't Supposed to Play the First Game - Shreyas Iyer

In a post-match chat with Kevin Pietersen and Parthiv Patel, Shreyas Iyer revealed that he wasn’t initially part of the playing XI. Iyer said that he was included at the last minute after Virat Kohli's injury. The batter added that he kept himself prepared for any opportunity despite not being in the original plans.

"I wasn't supposed to play the first game. As we all know, Virat unfortunately got injured and then I got the opportunity. But I had kept myself prepared. I knew that, you know, at any point in time, I could get a chance to play. And the same thing happened to me last year during the Asia Cup. I got injured, and someone else came, and he scored a century," he told Star Sports leaving the two experts in absolute silence.

I Was Watching the Movie Last Night - Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer was asked about his mindset shift from not expecting to play in Nagpur to scoring a fifty. Iyer revealed that he was watching a movie the night before when he received a call from skipper Rohit Sharma, who informed him that he might be needed.

"It's actually a funny story. I was watching the movie last night and I thought that I could extend my nighttime. Then I got a call from the skipper saying that I may play because Virat has got a swollen knee, and I hurried back to my room and went off to sleep straight. So we didn't know that."

I Don't Know What You Want Me to Say - Shreyas Iyer

Parthiv Patel expressed surprise that Iyer wasn’t initially considered for the first ODI, as he assumed that Yashasvi Jaiswal replaced Kohli. The 30-year-old said that he wants to focus on celebrating the victory rather than discussing the future.

“We didn’t know that actually! We thought that Yashasvi Jaiswal played because Virat got injured and we were sure that you were going to find a place in the XI,” Parthiv Patel said.

"I don't know what you want me to say, but I'm gonna keep it low-key and just, you know, cherish this moment, the victory," Iyer concluded.

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