Shreyas Iyer Names His Batting Heroes While Growing Up, Picks 1 Indian & 1 Australian

India and Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer recently opened up about his Test debut for India against New Zealand in Kanpur. Iyer, had an excellent first outing in India whites, as he slammed 105 and 65 in his first match against the Black Caps.

Incidentally, Iyer had also scored his first ODI century against New Zealand in their own backyard in 2020 and the Mumbaikar showed his affection towards the Kiwis by thumping them in his first Test match. Though the match ended in a draw, Iyer’s batting prowess was lauded by cricket experts and fans alike.

Growing up in Mumbai, Shreyas Iyer was cricket-crazy as one can be and in an interview with the Times Now News portal, he talked about his cricketing heroes. He named one Indian and one Australian batter whom he admired the most. Ironically, his choices were regarded as one of the greatest batters of their eras and shared a healthy rivalry during their playing days.

“Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting,” Shreyas Iyer revealed his batting heroes growing up when asked during the interaction.

Sachin Tendulkar remains the only batter to score over 15,000 runs in both forms of the game (15921 Test and 18426 ODI runs). He is the only batter to play 200 Tests and also appeared in 463 ODI matches, apart from a solitary T20I game. He is the only batter to score 100 international centuries, with 51 Test and 49 ODI tons to his name and his career spanned 24 years from 1989-2013.

Ricky Ponting, meanwhile, made 13378 runs in 168 Tests and 13704 runs in 375 ODI matches. He played 17 T20Is and made 407 runs. He has 41 Test and 30 ODI centuries, and is joint-second on the list of most international centuries with 70, along with Virat Kohli for company, for now.

I Do Improvise As The Situation Demands: Shreyas Iyer On How Hi Approaches His Batting

Apart from other questions, the interview also covered the mental aspect part of Shreyas Iyer’s batting and he shared that he treats each ball on its merit, instead of preempting his shots and getting into trouble later.

“I always treat each ball on its merit. Yes, I do improvise as the situation demands but I approach every delivery with a clear mind and do pre-meditate shots before the delivery. I think it’s all about the mindset. Every format has its specific demand and as professional cricketers, it’s important to hit the correct gear when you step out on to the pitch,” he said.

Shreyas will be seen in action when South Africa and India clash in the three-match Test series starting from December 26 in Centurion.

Also Read: IND vs SA: Extra Batter Is A Must In South Africa, I’d Go 7+4 With Bumrah, Shami, Siraj, And Ashwin – Wasim Jaffer