IPL 2019: Shreyas Iyer eyeing World Cup spot with good performances for Delhi Capitals

Iye, who will be leading the Delhi Capitals, was dropped from India's ODI squad last year.

Shreyas Iyer | Twitter

Shreyas Iyer hasn't yet given up on his dream to play this year's ICC Cricket World Cup for India. The Mumbai youngster genuinely believes that a good season for Delhi Capitals with the bat can turn his fortunes around and hence, he is quite geared up for the start of this edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he'll be captaining the side again. 

"What people think it’s impossible at the moment, I want to change that mindset (I want to make it possible) and break that jinx and I think it’s a great opportunity for me to do that," Iyer was quoted saying by PTI

The Delhi franchise will be looking forward to this season with hope. And their skipper also has faith in his players, whom he hopes to see become just more consistent than the previous couple of years. 

"The players know that we haven’t been doing well," Iyer said. "So we have to just believe in ourselves and enjoy each other’s success. That’s what makes a team get better and we have to be consistent in our approach and insatiable."

This year also marks the return of Shikhar Dhawan to the team with whom his IPL journey kickstarted 11 years back. The Indian opener left Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of this season despite having played for them since 2013. Now Delhi will definitely be wanting to see its son perform very well. 

"I’ve played with them (seniors like Dhawan) and I personally know them very well, so it doesn’t make my job that difficult to go and get the best out of them," Iyer said. "I am very well aware of their approach and mindset. Shikhar Dhawan personally is a very funny guy and good to be around. I am really happy that he’s part of the team and I can also learn a lot out of him."

Iyer is also taking inspiration from the story of Rohit Sharma, whose career changed drastically after being awarded the captaincy of Mumbai Indians in 2013. That year only MS Dhoni asked Rohit to open the batting at the top of the order in limited overs cricket and the rest, as they say, is history. 

"Rohit Sharma has been a great inspiration for all the cricketers," he said. "We have seen him grow as a player and he’s definitely a character I look up to personally. And he was also given an opportunity to captain Mumbai Indians like I have been given an opportunity and I want to make the best use of it."

While the personal goal is to wear the India colours again, Iyer is also maintaining his focus on doing the job immediately at hand. 

"See I have been doing that for the last few years and currently my focus is on the IPL and winning it," he said. "I am not thinking about a World Cup spot, it’s not in my hands. I can only look to perform and the selectors will do their job and I have been doing my job really well in the last three years. I will maintain my stability and be ready for whatever comes my way in the future."

"The selectors feel that there are some players who are far better than me and that’s not what I think. The selectors have told me to keep doing well and I’ll be getting my chances soon," Iyer concluded. 

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 18 Mar, 2019

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