Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer, who plays for India in ODI and T20I formats, had impressed former India cricketer Pravin Amre by his stroke play and timing against quality pace bowlers on the back foot, at a very young age. 

The right-hand middle-order batsman was part of India’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup in 2014, where he scored back-to-back half centuries to help India finish fifth in the tournament. Following the World Cup, Iyer got a chance to play for the Trent Bridge Cricket team, where he played three matches and scored 297 runs at an astonishing average of 99.

After jotting impressive numbers in the UK, Iyer made his First Class debut in the 2014/15 season, and amassed 809 runs at a whopping average of 50.56.

After grabbing attention of franchises through a string of performances on the back of effortless stroke playing, Iyer was picked by the then Delhi Daredevils for the 2015 edition of the IPL. At that time, Iyer was the most expensive uncapped player to be picked by any IPL franchise as he was bought for INR 2.6 crore. 

In March 2017, Iyer was added to India’s Test squad against the Aussies in the absence of Virat Kohli, but he did not feature in the Test match. 

In the same year, Iyer finally made his international debut in a T20I match against New Zealand, but he did not get a chance to bat.

Towards the end of 2017, Iyer made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka. However, it did not go according to the plan as he scored only 9 runs in his debut innings.

In the ODI series against the West Indies post the 2019 World Cup, Iyer scored 71 and 63 in the second and third ODIs, respectively as India won the ODI series comfortably and the elegant batter was the second-highest run-scorer, just behind Virat Kohli.

In February 2020, Iyer scored his maiden ODI ton against the Black Caps. He slammed 103 of just 107 balls, but despite his efforts, India went on to lose that match.

Going into the 2018 IPL season, Iyer was retained by Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils), and was made the permanent captain midway through the season, replacing Gautam Gambhir.

Under his captaincy, Delhi Capitals reached their maiden IPL final but were defeated by the defending champions, Mumbai Indians in a close-fought contest in 2020.

The Mumbaikar missed the 2021 season of IPL due to a shoulder injury, and the very next year, he was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a whooping INR 12.25 crores as their captain.

Iyer, who is renowned for his stroke play, was adjudged the Player of the Month (February) in 2022 after blissful performances in the T20I and Test series. Leading KKR in 2023, he hoped to present the fans with their third IPL trophy but sustained another injury just before the tournament while playing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. He underwent a surgery for the same in April 2023.

After a six-month recovery process, he returned to play for India in the Asia Cup 2023 but got the opportunity in only one match.

While doubts still loomed over his fitness, Iyer shunned them down in style, scoring 530 runs, including two consecutive hundreds, in the ODI World Cup 2023. After smashing a century versus the Netherlands, Iyer led a carnage in the semi-final bout against New Zealand, helping India enter the summit clash with his 70-ball 105.

He made his T20I comeback in the Australia series. He scored a fifty in the final match but still found himself out of the mix for the Afghanistan series due to excess competition prevailing in the Indian T20I outfit.

Questions have often been raised on Iyer’s performance in away Tests. He had a golden chance in his hands to end them for once and all during India’s tour to South Africa in  January 2024. But the stylish batter found himself wanting in South Africa, scoring just 41 runs across four innings. The Mumbaikar had a disappointing home series against England, featuring only in two matches before being dropped from India’s central contract.

Shreyas has been leading Kolkata Knight Riders well in the 2024 IPL as the franchise aims to win it’s third silverware.

(As of May 2024)