New Delhi: A year ago, Shreyas Iyer He exuded confidence as he sat on the chair to address the media first. IPL 2024 Final in Chennai. His slow walk, his hat falling down his eye line, and his favorite Guns N’ Roses track playing on his phone. The yellow shoes flashed in his ears like a pair of solitaires, and immediately ‘See You Again’ (the song Wiz Khalifa) salute to its opposite number Pat Cummins Eased the room before everyone got down to business.This season’s preparation has not been ideal for the right-hander. He had lost his central contract, was not considered ‘serious’ for the game and had fallen off the radar despite a brilliant 2023 ODI World Cup campaign. He repeatedly mentioned that his back needed attention, but no one listened. His failure to make starting changes in the first two home Tests against England in 2024 forced the selectors to make a tough call. He mentioned back pain again while playing long innings but the rumor mill worked overtime to prove that he was not ‘serious’. “Did you see Ben Stokes’ run out?” They would add but Ayer chose to ignore outside noise and, as the cliché goes, control the controllables.
This was followed by an IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders but normalcy was not yet in his career. His batting prowess continued in the domestic circuit but the selectors found “no place” for him in the Test and T20I squads. Until the 2025 Champions Trophy, he was not included in the team’s original playing XI plans. However, when an opportunity arose Virat KohliSwallowed in the previous bilateral series, Iyer made it count. He revealed a late call-up after a blistering half-century.The Champions Trophy happened, he did his job during the celebrations and returned from Dubai with the winner’s medal and the tag of India’s undisputed MVP. On slower surfaces, he was the glue that held the middle order together and was instrumental in helping India win yet another ICC title.
Months later, he accepted the challenge of the Punjab Kings in the IPL and enhanced his reputation as a leader who doesn’t just talk the talk, but walks the talk. Another IPL final as captain meant he was making life difficult for the selectors.Talk of rewarding his leadership grew louder in the corridors of the BCCI and his strong domestic performance helped significantly. Whenever his name was not included in an Indian squad, the outcry was surreal and it was not limited to the T20I format. His strong outing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy put him in the Test conversation but that momentum had to be halted when he had to take the tough call to step away from the multi-day grind. It came at the risk of being judged again, but he chose his own good, thinking that his back would not support him.
He was then promoted to ODI vice-captain, followed by a near-fatal fall while taking a sensational catch during the ODI series in Australia. When everything finally got back on track, fate took a different path, landing him in a hospital bed in another country and away from cricket. Early speculation kept him out of cricket for months, where he missed out on the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Mumbai – a tournament that could have helped generate more buzz for T20I selection ahead of the World Cup.He switched off, went on holiday with his closest friends and came back determined to hit the ground running when there were no red flags from the medical team. Strength training resumed, running resumed, and after a few net sessions with childhood coach Praveen Amre, he checked into the BCCI CoE in the hope of getting clearance for the ODI series against New Zealand.“I want to get that clearance and get back to playing cricket. I will leave Bengaluru only with the clearance,” 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 ran into another hurdle as the return-to-play process began closer to selection day. BCCI’s medical team was following the parameters of multi-day cricket and only after Iyer reminded them that he was not playing in that format, the stakeholders agreed to give him the necessary clearance subject to fitness clearance. After the formalities were completed, he made a comeback, as did his return to the T20I squad as a backup but the wait to feature in the shortest format was going to be long.Surya Kumar Yadav Led India to the title but his batting form and the selectors’ plans ahead of the T20 World Cup kept Iyer in the conversation. Elevating the fifty-over leadership setup was part of the bigger picture that Ajit Agarkar and Co. were focusing on. Another strong start for Punjab Kings, with his consistency at No. 4, forced the decision makers to read the writing on the wall.
About a month before the selection meeting for Ireland and England’s T20Is, a consensus was reached on Surya’s move and Iyer got his nod. Even the late collapse of Punjab Kings was not changing his mind. They arrived at the decision after considering his performance with the bat and as captain over the last two seasons. Other options were on the table but none came close.The rumor mill, though, kicked back into overdrive, and suggestions were made that the head coach Gautam Gambhir Iyer was not in favor of appointment. KKR’s 2024 season was used to back up these claims as Iyer unapologetically mentioned that he never got credit for winning the title.However, the mindset never changed. It was always about winning, and it had to be done at any cost. Even if it meant putting his body on the line, months after avoiding a near-fatal injury. He will not hesitate to fly in front of the Mumbai Indians dugout, to silence the roaring Wankhede crowd in the IPL. When his arms spread out, as if saying to thousands of people, “Speak now,” he couldn’t care less. A wicket was taken, the side was put in a better position and that’s what matters to him.
On 6 June, he virtually attended the selection meeting for Ireland and England’s T20Is as captain. After completing his duties, he will arrive at Wankhede for a T20 Mumbai League fixture against a team led by Surya Kumar Yadav, whom he has replaced as captain.‘See you again’ would have been an appropriate number to hum, but Air Guns would prefer a line from ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ by the Roses.
Do you think Shreyas Iyer deserves to be a regular member of the Indian cricket team?
