Shreyas Iyer has had a rather eventful past few months. In February, Iyer was dropped from the BCCI's annual retainers for the 2023/24 season, with the board stating that “all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team.” He was dropped from the Indian team during the Test series against England, and Iyer then missed the quarterfinal match for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy due to a back spasm.
However, he did feature in the semi-final and final of the domestic tournament, eventually helping Mumbai win the Ranji title. Last month, Iyer ended Kolkata Knight Riders' 10-year wait for an Indian Premier League title, leading the side to its third trophy in a one-sided final victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In a chat on his official YouTube channel, Iyer opened up about the challenging time earlier this year, claiming that there was a “lack of communication” that resulted in the results not being in his favour.
“I had a tremendous World Cup, and I wanted to take a break after that, work on my body and build some strength around certain areas. Due to a lack of communication, there were some decisions that didn't go in my favour,” said Iyer.
“But at the end of the day, the bat is always going to be in my hand, and it's on me how to perform and win trophies. I decided once I won the Ranji Trophy and IPL, that would be an apt answer for whatever happened in the past. Thankfully, everything fell into the right place, and I'm grateful for where I am right now. Also, we have a lot more trophies to win in the future.”
{{/usCountry}}“But at the end of the day, the bat is always going to be in my hand, and it's on me how to perform and win trophies. I decided once I won the Ranji Trophy and IPL, that would be an apt answer for whatever happened in the past. Thankfully, everything fell into the right place, and I'm grateful for where I am right now. Also, we have a lot more trophies to win in the future.”
{{/usCountry}}Alongside Iyer, India's young wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan was also excluded from the contract list; however, he had made himself unavailable for selection for Jharkhand at the Ranji Trophy and had a below-par season with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
What's next for Iyer?
It remains unknown whether Iyer will be recalled in the board's contract list. Undoubtedly, the star batter remains an integral part of the Indian ODI squad. His contributions were vital to the team's remarkable performance at the ODI World Cup last year, where he accumulated 530 runs with a striking average of 66.25.