Shreyas Iyer: Team India’s experienced middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer is determined to end his sabbatical from the Indian Cricket Team as he prepares to prove himself in the five-day format and make his much-awaited return to the Test-Team in the highly-anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy series versus Australia. Taking on Australia is the ultimate litmus test, he told the Hindustan Times, and he relishes the pressure and excitement of the BGT.
Iyer’s relations with India’s Cricket Governing Body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), became poor when he decided to avoid playing Domestic-Cricket and reportedly lied about his injury related issues. He was dropped by the BCCI from the list of Central-Contracts and has been ignored from selection of the senior Test squad ever since.
Iyer desperate to take part in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy versus Australia
In an attempt to make a case for his comeback to the Test-Team of India, the 29-year-old scored a couple of half-centuries in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy before playing an extremely good knock of 142 runs for Mumbai versus Maharashtra in the currently ongoing 2024 season of the Ranji Trophy. And with this inning, Shreyas is dreaming of making his return to the National Team’s Test setup.
As reported by the Hindustan Times, Iyer revealed that there’s no bigger challenge than playing versus Australia, and as a cricket player, he craves the intense India vs Australia rivalry, the high pressure and thrill associated with the Border Gavaskar Trophy series.
Thus, ahead of this highly-anticipated series, the KKR skipper’s goal is to make full use of every chance that he gets and leave a mark by performing well.
“I am fulfilling my childhood goal of playing for Team India in every format of the game. One of the hardest things about playing cricket in Australia is the Border-Gavaskar series. You want to be a part of these moments as a cricket player because the conditions, the rivalry, and the intensity demand everything of you. I’m getting ready to seize that chance and make an impression,” Iyer said.
The 29-year-old also acknowledged the competitiveness in the starting lineup, pointing out that as India is a talent-rich country, and hence competition is unavoidable. However, that won’t change his desire of making his comeback to the Test-Setup as he has prepared himself to be ready to deliver with the bat whenever the opportunity arrives.
“Given the enormous volume of talent in India, there is currently more competition than ever for spots in Indian cricket. The players now have a lot more opportunities to leave their mark, make an impact, and attract the attention of the selectors. Every time you step onto the field, you have to leave an impression, and that’s what I want to accomplish. The goal is to perform at the best level for the Indian Cricket Team, so when the opportunity arises, I will be prepared to make an impact,” he added.
Iyer responds to his injury-related rumours
Ahead of Mumbai’s forthcoming Ranji Trophy 2024 fixture versus Tripura, rumours claimed that Shreyae Iyer will be dropped from the starting XI due to a shoulder-injury. The news went viral and was widely circulated on social media. Iyer, however, chastised media-outlets and advised them to do their proper research before disseminating such unverified-information, stating that he is completely fit and ready to play versus Tripura.
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