India batter Shreyas Iyer lived up to his INR 12.25 Crore IPL 2022 price tag with stunning performances in the just-concluded T20I series against Sri Lanka.
In the first T20I, Iyer scored 57* off 28 balls at Lucknow and he followed it up with 74* and 73* in the last two T20Is at Dharamsala. Thanks to his 204 runs in the series, India whitewashed Sri Lanka in the three-match series.
While Shreyas was awarded the Player-of-the-Match in the second and third T20I, he was adjudged the Player-of-the-Series.
After guiding India to a 6-wicket victory in the final T20I, Iyer said staying unbeaten in all three games is a commendable performance from him.
"Firstly, I want to cherish this moment, I have achieved a really good total in this T20I series. I want to relax a bit, give myself time and not think too much beyond. I am just staying in the moment now. See if you are playing the T20I format, if you bat at top 3, that is a place from where you can pace your innings really well. If you bat down the order, you cannot give yourself time and you have to go from ball one," said Iyer during a virtual press conference.
"Coming not out in all three games is a commendable performance from my side, I am not keeping any expectations, if you see competition in our team, it is immense. I just want to enjoy each and every opportunity. I like to finish off the games and that is my mindset. I cannot talk about cementing my place, competition is so much, you need to be flexible in batting at any position," he added.
Further talking about the competition within the squad, Shreyas said: "My mindset is to grab as many opportunities as I can and I maximise it. I am playing like I used to, there has been no special preparation. Every player has their own strength and weakness, my mindset is to focus on my strengths. I do not get bogged down if people think short ball is my weakness."
During the IPL 2022 mega-auction earlier this month, KKR had roped in Shreyas Iyer for a hefty sum of INR 12.25 Crore. He has also been appointed captain of the Kolkata-based franchise.
Iyer has the experience of captaining the IPL side Delhi Capitals. He produced impressive results for DC, leading the franchise to playoffs in 2019 and then followed it with their maiden appearance in the final in 2020.
(With ANI inputs)
