New Delhi: Just over a year ago, Shreyas Iyer radiated confidence as he settled into the chair to address the media ahead of the IPL 2024 final in Chennai. His slow walk, hat drooping below his eyeline, his favorite Guns N’ Roses track playing on his phone. The yellow sneakers were shining brightly like a pair of solitaires in his ears and the impromptu “See You Again” (Wiz Khalifa song) greeted his opposite number.
Pat cumin
The room quieted down before everyone got down to business.The preparation for this season has been far from ideal for the right-hander. He lost his central contract, was not considered ‘serious’ for the game and fell off the radar despite an impressive 2023 ODI World Cup campaign.
He repeatedly stated that his back needed care, but no one listened to him. His inability to convert in the first two home Tests against England in 2024 began prompting the selectors to make the difficult decision. He mentioned the discomfort he felt in his back again during long innings but the rumor mill worked overtime to prove he wasn’t “serious”.
“Did you see his escape from Ben Stokes?” But Ayer chose to ignore external noise and, as the saying goes, control the controllables, they would add.
This was followed by an IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders but normalcy was still far from creeping into his career. His bat continued to rage on the home circuit but the selectors found him “No room” His in Test and T20I teams. In the run-up to the 2025 Champions Trophy, he was not in the team’s original XI playing plans. However, when the opportunity arose because…
Virat Kohli
Because of Iyer’s neglect in the previous two-series, he made it important.
He carelessly revealed the belated recall after half a century of activity.The Champions Trophy win happened, he did his thing during the celebrations and returned from Dubai with a winner’s medal and the tag of the unknown India Player of the Year. On slower surfaces, he was the glue that held the middle order together and played a leading role in helping India win another ICC title.
Months later, he accepted the challenge of Punjab Kings in the Indian Super League and cemented his reputation as a leader who not only talks the talk, but walks his talk.
Another IPL final as captain meant he was making life difficult for the selectors.Talks about rewarding his leadership have risen in the corridors of BCCI and his strong performance at the domestic level has helped significantly. Every time an Indian team did not feature its name, the protest was unreal and was not restricted to the T20I format only. His strong outings for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy kept him in Test talks, but that momentum came to a screeching halt when he had to make the difficult decision to walk away from a multi-day slog.
He risked being judged again, but chose his own well-being, having believed that his back wouldn’t have her back.
Then came the rise as ODI vice-captain, followed by a near-fatal bad fall in Australia during a sensational catch during the ODI series. When everything finally went well, fate chose a different path, putting him on a hospital bed in a different country and away from cricket.
The initial recognition kept him out of cricket for several months, as he missed Mumbai’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – a tournament that could have helped him create more noise in terms of T20I selection ahead of the World Cup.He turned off his nerves, went on vacation with his closest friends, then came back determined to hit the ground running when there were no red flags from the medical team. Strength training resumed, he started running, and after a few net sessions with childhood coach Pravin Amre, he checked into the BCCI Center of Excellence in the hope of getting a pass for the ODI series against New Zealand.“I want to get this clearance and get back to playing cricket. I will leave Bengaluru only by declaration,” He told his inner circle as he spent New Year’s Eve alone in a hotel.
Just when everything seemed to be on track, he faced another hurdle as the return-to-play process approached Selection Day. The BCCI’s medical team had been following the cricketing norms for several days, and only after Iyer reminded them that he was not playing in this format, the stakeholders agreed to give him the necessary nod, subject to a fitness clearance.
With the formalities completed, his return has happened, as has his return to the T20I team as a backup but the wait to feature in the shorter format will be longer.Suryakumar Yadav
He led India to the title but his batting form and layout of the selectors ahead of the T20 World Cup kept Iyer in talks. Moving up the 50+ leadership group was part of the big picture that Ajit Agarkar & Co was focusing on. Another strong start for Punjab Kings, coupled with their consistency in fourth place, has the decision-makers reading the writing on the wall.
Nearly a month before the selection meeting for the Ireland and England T20Is, a consensus was reached on a move from Syria and Eyre received the nod. Even the recent recession to which the Punjab kings were subjected would not have changed their minds. They came to the decision after considering his performances in the last two seasons with the bat and as captain. There were other options on the table, but none of them came close.However, the rumors came back very quickly, and suggestions were made regarding that head coach
Gautam Gambhir
He was not in favor of appointing Eyre. KKR’s 2024 season was used to support the claims with Iyer, unapologetically, stating how he did not take credit for winning the title.But the mentality never changed. It was always about winning and doing it at any cost. Even if it meant putting his body on the line, months after escaping a near-fatal injury. He will not hesitate to get airborne, right in front of the Mumbai Indians dugout, to silence the rowdy Wankhede crowd in the IPL. When his arms widened, it was as if he was saying to thousands: “talk now,” He couldn’t care less. He got a wicket, the team was put in a better position and that’s all that matters to him.
On 6 June, he virtually attended the selection meeting as captain of the Ireland and England T20Is. After discharging his duties, he will arrive at Wankhede to take part in a Mumbai T20 League match against a team led by Suryakumar Yadav, the incumbent who replaced him as captain.“See You Again” would have been a sing-along number, but Ayer prefers the line from Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”
Do you think Shreyas Iyer deserves to be a regular member of the Indian cricket team?