Team India’s no.4 batter Shreyas Iyer has been in fine touch since January 2024. Shreyas has seen it all, from getting dropped from BCCI’s central contract to winning the IPL-title with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to now being part of the Champions Trophy-winning Indian team. After having a breakthrough Champions Trophy 2025, Shreyas Iyer admitted to not getting enough recognition after leading KKR to victory last year.
Iyer Wasn’t Retained By KKR
Despite leading KKR to their third IPL win last season, Iyer wasn’t retained by the franchise. However, Punjab Kings picked up the right-hander in the mega auction for a whopping Rs 26.75 crore and will now lead the side.
Champions Trophy Success
In the Champions Trophy 2025, Shreyas stepped up time and time again whenever India were in a spot of bother. In the five matches, the 30-year-old scored 243 runs, with his highest score being 79 against New Zealand in a Group A match. Even in the final against the Kiwis, it was Shreyas who steadied the ship after the wickets of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Shreyas said that the last few months have been very fulfilling for him, and his hard work has finally started to pay off.
“Extremely satisfying. To be honest, it has been a journey, and I have learnt a lot in this phase of my life, where I got out of the contract after playing the 2023 ODI World Cup. I reassessed where I went wrong, what I should be doing, how well I need to focus on my fitness. I asked myself all these questions, prepared a routine, and started focussing on my training and the skills I added side by side,” Shreyas Iyer told Times of India.
“Once I got continuous matches in domestic cricket, I figured out how important fitness was for me, especially when I raised my concerns at the start of the year. Overall I am extremely happy with myself… the way I came out of this, the way I handled the situation and most importantly I believed in myself,” he added.
‘My Efforts Sometimes Go Unnoticed’
Iyer said he reckons that sometimes his efforts don’t get recognised and go unnoticed.
However, he is not the one to complain as he is enjoying all the success coming his way.
“When I talk about recognition, it’s about getting that respect. It was about the respect for whatever efforts I put on the field. I think sometimes it gets unnoticed but extremely satisfied with the efforts I put in because they weren’t easy wickets to bat on,” said Shreyas Iyer.
“It wasn’t easy to take singles, especially when the bowlers were bowling so tight. I just had the belief in myself that once I get two sixes here or there, I can change the momentum towards our side. Luckily, I got them at crucial times,” he added.
