Ace India batter Shreyas Iyer has opened up about not being selected for the ongoing three-T20I series between India and Afghanistan. The series began on January 11 and India leads the series 2-0.
Iyer had last played T20I against Australia in December 2023. Since then, he played in one ODI and both Tests in South Africa. Iyer was not picked for the ongoing T20Is against Afghanistan and people in the know of things said that his missing out had more to do with the Indian top-order being stacked with right-handers.
"See, right now I'm being in the present. I have finished the match which I was asked to play (the Ranji game against Andhra). I came, and I executed, so I am happy with what I'm doing. Something that is not in my control, and I can't focus on that. Coming here and winning the match was my focus and that's what we did today," Iyer told reporters after Mumbai's emphatic win.
Iyer’s outing in South Africa was very poor and he was reportedly asked by the team management to play domestic cricket to prepare for the upcoming England Test series. Iyer was named in the Indian squad for the first two Tests against England for the series that begins on January 25 in Hyderabad.
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Iyer scored a run-a-ball 48 as Andhra bowlers tried to exploit his weakness against short ball.
“It's important to take one match at a time, not think about a five-match Test series. The team is only for the first two games. The motto would be to perform in the first two games and then look forward to the rest of the games,” Iyer said ahead of England Tests.
"I'm assuming that we would be getting turning wickets against England. But other than that, it was just for my match fitness, to stay on the field as long as possible, that's what mainly I was focusing on because especially after my injury, it has been tough for me to stick on the outfield for long. So this was great practice for me,” he added.
Iyer's Test career is at a crossroads and there are no guarantees that he would be able to hold on to his place. Iyer said that he would attack irrespective of match situation just like he did on the first day.
“It's fun. I love competition, and when competition is there, you face more challenges. And that's what I thrive on personally. So I enjoy having competition around because then you can go at each other and also against the opponents to show your talent and skills.
I'm going to play attacking irrespective of the situation. And also when you bowl negative, when you bowl safe and defensive at the start, you want to score runs and you need to take your team through up to a certain point. So that was my mindset and that's why stuck with. Yeah, I was happy irrespective of the score," he said.
(PTI inputs)
