Shreyas Iyer was removed from central contract list by BCCI.
Shreyas Iyer, who recently won the IPL 2024 for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), opened up about the past year which brought much fame and glory to him, along with some downs as well.
Shreyas Iyer had a difficult time leading up to the IPL 2024. He was dropped from the BCCI's central contract list. That was preceded by reports about his fitness, which caused him to miss a Ranji Trophy match.
Shreyas Iyer played for the national squad in the first two Tests against England. However, he was dropped for the remaining three Tests due to a string of bad performances. Later, he missed a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai, citing a back problem.
However, according to The Indian Express, the NCA issued a contradicting fitness report for him. Shreyas Iyer reportedly attended a pre-IPL camp with the Kolkata Knight Riders at this time, according to multiple media outlets.
That sequence of events saw the BCCI explicitly state in a press release that domestic cricket was required for stars who wanted to play for the national side.
Now, on Friday evening, Iyer published a video in which he discussed his break, a lack of communication, and decisions that 'didn't go his way. Though he did not explicitly state it, there were clear signs that it was the BCCI contract snub and the subsequent criticism he received.
"I had a terrific World Cup and I wanted to take a break after that and wanted to work on my body and build some strength around certain area. Due to lack of communication, there were some decisions, that didn't go in my favour.
But I realised that the bat is going to be in my hand and it's on me to perform and win trophies. I decided that once I win Ranji Trophy and IPL that would be an apt answer for whatever happened in the past and thankfully everything fell to right place. I am grateful, how it happened,” Shreyas Iyer said on his YouTube Channel.
"After the (back) surgery, I was at NCA, practising in the nets. I have never batted for so long in my life. I used to always restrict myself from batting in the nets because I complained that the wickets weren't that great. Suddenly, I just told myself that 'put yourself in tough situations because the war is won outside the field, not on the field'. When you play with your mind, when you challenge your mind to put yourself in tough situations and you decide for yourself whether you're going to win or not," Iyer added.
Shreyas Iyer was not named in the Indian T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
(With PTI inputs)