Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer was named in the Indian cricket team T20I squad against New Zealand and with the 22-year-old proving his worth in the domestic circuit for quite some time now, it was perhaps a justified inclusion ahead of the three-match series.
Besides featuring for Mumbai on a regular basis, Iyer had managed to grab the eyeballs during the Indian Premier League in 2015 when Delhi Daredevils bought him for a whopping Rs. 2.6 crore. Unlike players like Pawan Negi & Co, however, Iyer lived up to his mark in a spectacular fashion. Coming out to open the innings, Iyer smashed 439 runs in 14 matches before going on to bag the IPL emerging player of the Year award.
The format, however, never seemed to bother Iyer who excelled in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare as well as the IPL. However, it was his brute hitting prowess coupled with the ability to face fast bowlers that made him stand out as an opener despite the country producing the lot in abundance. And in the shortest format, that’s the quintessential quality that every captain looks for.
Iyer made his Mumbai debut in 2014-15, and despite a jittery start in the middle order, he was promoted to the top where he went on to finish as the side’s highest run-getter with 809 runs to his name at an average of 50.56. He went a notch better in the following 2015-16 season — smashing 1321 runs at an average of 73.38 en route to helping his side lift the trophy for the 41st time with a century in the final as well.
{{/usCountry}}Iyer made his Mumbai debut in 2014-15, and despite a jittery start in the middle order, he was promoted to the top where he went on to finish as the side’s highest run-getter with 809 runs to his name at an average of 50.56. He went a notch better in the following 2015-16 season — smashing 1321 runs at an average of 73.38 en route to helping his side lift the trophy for the 41st time with a century in the final as well.
{{/usCountry}}Iyer had been part of the India under-19 squad as well and was part of the side that finished fifth in the 2014 World Cup in UAE.
But what seems to have worked in his favour is his recent stint for the India A side where he scored 108, 82, 90 and 37 in the four games for India A against New Zealand A. His 90 in the third game was vital as it helped the hosts tie the game against the Kiwis.
He, however, failed to emulate his form while playing for the Board President’s XI where he could only manage to score 17 and 24 in the two warm-up games.