The Mumbai boy, who plays for Delhi Daredevils, wants to keep scoring match-winning knocks
How do you think a 20-year-old would celebrate a match-winning knock in the IPL? Partying all night, perhaps? Not Shreyas Iyer. The Delhi Daredevils batsman hit the bed after scoring a magnificent 83 against Mumbai Indians on Thursday.
Up early on Friday morning, Iyer showed no signs of tiredness. Instead, he was already looking forward to the next game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.
"I really enjoyed scoring runs against Mumbai," the Mumbaikar told dna a day on Friday. "I had to be there till the 15th over as my opening mate (Mayank Agarwal) went early on and we were playing three spinners. I had to take the responsibility, which eventually paid off."
The young lad is not ruing the fact that he missed out on scoring his first IPL hundred in just his fifth game. "Yes, there was a chance. I was eyeing one, but then I could not. This is not the end. It' not a big issue. Many more chances will come in the future," he said, exuding confidence.
Was there any nervousness considering he was playing against a team from his home city, one that he used to support before being bought by Delhi Daredevils in the auction earlier this year? "There wasn't any nervousness. Delhi is my team. Having played a few games, I have got used to them. I was excited to play against Mumbai and keen to do well against a great bowling side that had the likes of Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh. I am excited to have scored runs," Iyer said.
Having impressed one and all by scoring over 800 runs for Mumbai in his maiden Ranji Trophy season, Iyer is enjoying facing speedsters bowling over 140 kmph in the IPL. "You don't get to play the kind of bowlers in domestic cricket that you play against in the IPL. And I was really happy to have scored against a quality attack," he said.
Iyer, who batted at No. 3 for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, said he was enjoying opening the innings for the Daredevils. "It doesn't matter because batting at No.3 is like opening, if the opener gets out early. So it's the same for me. Coach Gary Kirsten asked me to open the innings, so I thought it was a good opportunity for me to explore. It helped me play more balls. Apart from that, I had scored a 100 in a practice game as an opener, and that also worked for me," he said.
So how is his rapport with former India coach Kirsten? "He has made me totally free. He has been very helpful and supportive. However, I have our batting coach Praveen Amre, who is also the Mumbai Ranji coach, who helps me with my batting and technique," he said.
Ask Iyer if he feels any pressure of the franchise spending Rs 2.6 crore on him, and pat comes the reply. "No, not at all. I deserve it. I had done well in the Ranji season, so I was expecting Rs 60 to Rs 70 lakh, but not Rs 2.6 crore. I don't think about that when I go to bat or on the field. It is only you guys that remind me of the amount," he said.
For Iyer, this is just the beginning and he is looking to finish the league on a high. "I am not thinking too far ahead. I have already got one man of the match award and I want more, which will also help my team win. I am just being realistic. However, I would like to help my team qualify for the qualifiers first. I believe in going at one step at a time," he said.
IYER IN THE IPL
83 vs MI in Delhi
31 vs KKR in Delhi
60 vs SRH in Vizag
6 vs KXIP in Pune
40 vs RR in Delhi
7 vs CSK in Chennai
N ZONE
227
No. of runs Iyer has scored in the IPL so far, the third-highest after Ajinkya Rahane and David Warner
2
No. of half-centuries he has hit so far in this IPL
Rs 2.6 crore
Amount he was bought for by the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL auction earlier this year
Know Iyer
Full name: Shreyas Santosh Iyer
Date of birth: December 6, 1994
Major teams: Delhi Daredevils, India under-19s, Mumbai under-19s
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Legbreak googly
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