Usually, the cricketing individual will look for the maiden International call-up and cherish the moment for the rest of their life. But, it isn’t the same for Shreyas Iyer, who didn’t excite at all despite receiving the debut cap after such hard work in the domestic seasons for Mumbai.
Shreyas Iyer, who solved the long-standing issue of number four slot in the ODI format of the game, has received his maiden ODI cap in 2017. He hasn’t had a great run in the Indian team, with selectors trying out various combinations to have a settled squad for the ICC World Cup 2019.
I didn’t feel much – Shreyas Iyer
However speaking of the debut, Shreyas Iyer stated that he wasn’t delighted at all. Iyer believes that he should have received the call-up way earlier than he received. Further, Shreyas spoke how he used to get angry on himself regarding the national call-up and how he turned himself into a fun-loving cricketer on the field.
“To be honest, I wasn’t that emotional. When I got the cap because I felt that I should have gotten it way before. So whenever I was given the cap, I was like..okay..normal. I didn’t feel much,” Shreyas Iyer revealed during an interaction in Cricbuzz’s Spicy Pitch.
“I was very angry, I was rude, I always used to crib about not being selected. Then I realised it’s too much to think about. I am enjoying my life, I am enjoying my batting. At the same time, I have to enjoy my cricket. When you enjoy, you keep scoring. I just kept doing my job, that is to score runs. I knew one day I was selected,” he added.
The rise of Ambati Rayudu and Vijay Shankar during his dip of form has made Shreyas Iyer stay out of the reckoning for next couple of years. However, he continued scoring runs in domestic tournaments for Mumbai and also led India-A and IPL team before garnering a name for himself again.
Following all the struggles, Shreyas Iyer has now become the regular feature for India. He solved the problem of No. 4, which haunted India during ICC World Cup 2019. He was the leading run-getter in India’s recent ODI series in New Zealand where he scored 273 runs in three innings at 72.33.