Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer has been in great form in T20Is. He has also become a finisher of the game as well. However, behind this transformation are taunts that irked him, leading him to decide to “prove” others wrong. His decision came as Iyer was never considered as a T20 batter.
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Believe’, he said, “I have people around me who say that in this situation, you can’t do it. It’s impossible. I don’t like hearing that. As a cricketer playing at the highest level, I just can’t accept it. Then in my mind, I decide that I have to prove them wrong. The challenge becomes: ‘I was in this situation, how can I come back stronger?’ I push myself harder and try to return as soon as possible to prove them wrong. That thought keeps driving me, especially after injuries.”
“When I had my back injury, some people said I would never be the same again. I asked myself, why can’t I be? The way you shape your mindset after an injury is important. You choose what to focus on and what to ignore,” Iyer shared again.
However, the ‘short ball weakness’ taunt kept going on in his ears for a long time. In his own words, he said that the taunts “triggered” him, and he decided to do the hard work to overcome this weakness as well.
“People said I would never fix my short-ball problem. That triggered me. I wanted to prove them wrong by performing well, so I worked hard on it. Earlier, I would just take a single or try to keep the ball down, but now my mindset has changed. If I see a short ball in my zone, I am going to hit it for a six. I work with Pravin Amre; I have been with him since I was young. I also talk to coaches like Abhishek Nayar. We share ideas,” he shared.
“During my batting practice, I now try to play around 50 overs and face over 300 balls. That helps me understand what works for me. I don’t follow a fixed pattern. I give myself more time in the middle and face real bowlers, not just sidearm throws. The more I face bowlers, the clearer my movement becomes. I focus on creating a rhythm. Just before the bowler delivers, I try to get into my position quickly. That creates a flow. You must have seen AB de Villiers do that. Even Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have that rhythm before playing their shots. I try to do the same,” Shreyas Iyer concluded.
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