It was disappointing; it is something that you dream as a kid – Shreyas Iyer on his exclusion from India’s T20 World Cup 2022 squad

Indian batter Shreyas Iyer admitted it was disappointing for him when he was not included in India’s T20 World Cup 2022 squad. Iyer was named in the reserve players list but he didn’t travel to Australia. The right-hander has been performing consistently in the ODI team and he was India’s best ODI batter in 2022.

However, Iyer couldn’t get consistent chances in the final XI in the middle order in the T20I side due to the rise of Suryakumar Yadav. Iyer played 17 T20I matches in 2022 in which he scored 463 runs at an average of 35.61 and a strike rate of 141.15.

On the other hand, Iyer was the leading run-getter in ODI cricket in 2022 among the full-time cricketing members as he amassed 724 runs in 17 matches at an impressive average of 55.69 and a strike rate of 91.52.

Thus, Iyer was a bit unfortunate to miss out on the World Cup squad as he did a decent job for the team in the white ball formats.

Shreyas Iyer told the Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview: “It was disappointing. It is something that you dream as a kid, to represent your country on the biggest stage. Winning it for the team is also something which gives you the chills.

“But it was not that I was completely demotivated. I didn’t let that get into my mind. I was just doing my things right. I focused on myself. I took a break, went and played domestic cricket. It gave me more time to elevate my skills.”

Meanwhile, Iyer revealed that the outside noise motivates him and he tries to soak in the pressure to deliver for his team.

“The talk that goes on outside tends to motivate me, get the best out of me. The more people talk about me, I listen to it and soak in the pressure. I tell myself I need to prove them wrong. That’s how I approach whenever I bat in the nets, or in the match. It acts as a kind of motivation.

“Even when I am playing against opposition who are chirping, I like to give it back because I feel it gets my rhythm going; it lifts me, makes me focus a lot.”
Iyer went on to add that his goal is to play in the upcoming ODI World Cup and also the World Test Championship final in 2023.

“Definitely, it is going to be big. It’s not far away. I will have to see that I perform consistently to get my place. My eventual goal is also to play in the World Cup, along with the WTC final. I’d like to keep doing my preparations right to see to it that I achieve whatever I plan.”

Iyer has been in good form in Test matches as he scored 202 runs in two Test matches against Bangladesh at an average of 101 and he played a key role in the team’s 2-0 win.