Interview with Shreyas Iyer: "I did not admire any cricketer as a kid"

Shreyas Iyer

In his first First-class season, he took the country by storm, as he scored runs consistently and against strong opposition. This U-19 star that we are talking about arrived at the big stage, when three prominent franchises in the Indian Premier League frantically bid to get him on board in this year’s IPL auction. He is perhaps one of the more promising faces around, with many touting him to be a future India star.

Dressed smartly in a black t-shirt and blue jeans, we caught up with Dilli Boy Shreyas Iyer for a quick chat:

Shreyas, first up, how has your domestic form helped you in finding your feet in the IPL, a place where many domestic uncapped players succumb to the high pressure?

I had a really good domestic season, scoring eight hundred odd runs. However, the start to the season was really bad for me. After my third game, I realized that I was facing a do or die situation, I then scored some 75 odd runs for my team in a winning cause. That knock really helped me gain confidence throughout the domestic season and I have carried that confidence into the IPL. Right now, I am enjoying each and every moment in the game.

What are your thoughts on playing under the guidance of Gary Kirsten, especially considering that Gary is considered to be a great mentor to young cricketers?

Gary is a great coach, really frank. He isn’t the one to say something behind your back, whatever he has to say he will tell it on your face. And most importantly, he makes every player feel free so that you can go out there and explore yourself – which is a really good thing for all players, I guess.

Pravin Amre has known you since childhood. In fact, he was one of those who identified you early on in your career. Now that Amre is the batting consultant for the Daredevils, could you throw us some light on the relationship that you share with him?

He has been a really good mentor and coach for me since childhood. And he has really been helping me a lot with my technique and skills since my Under-13 days. Whenever I have any technical problem with my game, I approach him. Now that he has been with me, starting right from the Ranji season and into the IPL, it’s been easy to identify the faults and shortcomings in my technique.

Lastly Shreyas, who are the cricketers that you grew up admiring?

To be honest, no one. I used to like the batting of AB de Villiers, and still do. Apart from him, there were a few cricketers who I loved watching including Ross Taylor and Sachin Tendulkar.

Hopefully, some years from now, kids of this country will say how they enjoyed watching young Shreyas Iyer bat. Here’s wishing our Daredevil lots of luck for the remainder of the season!