Shreyas repays selectors faith with perfect ton

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, october 27

Shreyas Iyer concedes that he knows he is part of a bunch of young players who are under the selectors’ constant watch. He was named as part of the Indian T20I team for the matches against West Indies and Australia by the selectors on Friday. 

And as a celebration of sorts, he hit a masterful 114-ball 148 runs for India B in a 29-run loss to India C in the final of the Deodhar Trophy at the Ferozeshah Kotla.

But Iyer has had a stop-start drill to his international career so far. With a first class average of 51.76 in 50 matches, the 23-year-old has outclassed many of his contemporaries since the time he made his debut for Mumbai.

Those performances earned him a call to the Indian squad — first during the T20I against Sri Lanka in November 2017 and then in the ODI team in December last year. But Iyer has failed to replicate his prolific domestic form on to the international stage. And, so was shown the door.

The life outside the India team has taught him a few harsh lessons, which have helped him mature. Previously, he would get affected if ignored by the selectors but not anymore. “I don’t think much about the selection. It is not my job.  My job is to score runs, and I think, lately I have been doing that. The selection process used to play with my mind, but now, I have started to forget those things by keeping it simple,” he said.

“I have come to realise that it is just not me, there are many other players at the same time who do not get selected. I can see their frustration,” Iyer said while explaining the predicament of players. “It is part and parcel of every sportsperson’s life. They go through it and it’s not just cricket. I have seen many international footballers not getting selected for their World Cup team even if they’ve performed for their clubs. So yes, all these small things really matter and I am focused on what I am doing,” he added.

Iyer claimed there was no big reaction from him when he got to know about his selection. “To be honest, I did not react. I was only focusing on this match. I knew it is going to be really important match for me.  If you get a good knock here (Deodhar Trophy) it is well recognised,” he said.

Brief Scores

India C: 352/7 in 50 overs (A Rahane 144*, Ishan Kishan 114; J Unadkat 3/52); India B: 323 all out in 46.1 overs (S Iyer 148, R Gaikwad 60; Pappu Roy 3/75)