Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Kevin Pietersen, AB de Villiers, Rohit Sharma - Shreyas Iyer names five cricketing idols

Asked to comment on former India captain MS Dhoni, Iyer said he is a true leader. “Cool, calm, consistent and a true leader.”

Terming the Indian captain as “relentless”, Shreyas Iyer on Wednesday said Sachin Tendulkar, Kevin Pietersen, Ab De Villiers and Rohit Sharma are his role models along with Virat Kohli. “My role models are @sachin_rt, @KP24, @ABdeVilliers17, @ImRo45, @imVkohli,” India’s limited overs No.4 batsman said in a Twitter Q&A while spending time at home like the rest of India due to the coronavirus pandemic.

India's Shreyas Iyer celebrates his century. (AP)

The country is observing a 21-day lockdown to defeat the deadly virus which has so far taken 10 lives in this part of the world. Asked to comment on former India captain MS Dhoni, Iyer said he is a true leader. “Cool, calm, consistent and a true leader.”

The Delhi Capitals captain was also asked to pick his favourite Indian Premier League innings. “Scoring 93 against KKR when I was given captaincy. Will always be memorable for me,” he said. Iyer also picked Jemimah Rodrigues as his favourite female cricketer, adding that a cheat day meal for him would be home cooked mutton biryani.

The 25-year old Iyer has been in sublime form recently scoring 103 in the first ODI in New Zealand and following it up with scores of 52 and 62.

Although India lost the series 0-3, Iyer further underlined his credential as a No. 4 batsman, a spot which has troubled India for a long time including in the 2019 World Cup where they lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals. Iyer was also among runs in the T20 series in New Zealand which India won 5-0.