NEW DELHI:
Team India
middle order batter
Shreyas Iyer
on Friday expressed his disappointment over lack of communication and certain unfavorable decisions that followed the ODI World Cup last year, stating that his bat will do the talking going forward.
During the ODI World Cup in 2023, Iyer showcased his batting prowess, securing the third position among the highest run-scorers for India.
He amassed an impressive 530 runs at an average of 66.25, including two centuries and three half-centuries.
Despite his notable performances, Iyer was excluded from the BCCI's central contract list for the period spanning from October 2023 to September 2024.
The decision was seemingly based on the perception that both Iyer and wicketkeeper-batsman
Ishan Kishan
had prioritized the IPL over domestic cricket.
While Kishan had completely skipped domestic cricket in the first half of the year, only resuming competitive play just before the IPL, Iyer had participated in a few Ranji Trophy matches representing Mumbai.
Although Iyer missed the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal, he made his presence felt in the semifinal and the final, where he smashed a quick-fire 95 against Vidarbha.
"I had a tremendous World Cup and I wanted to take a break after that, work on my body (and) build some strength around certain areas," Iyer said in a video released on his YouTube page on Friday.
"Due to lack of communication, there were some decisions that didn't go in my favour. But at the end of the day, the bat is always going to be in my hand and it's on me how 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 the right place," added Iyer, who captained Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title win this year.
Having undergone a back surgery in April 2023, Iyer said pushing himself hard in the nets sessions at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru also helped him find confidence.
"After the 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," he said.
"Suddenly, I just told myself that 'put yourself in tough situations because the war is won outside the field, not on the field'," he said.
"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.
(With inputs from PTI)
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