Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) assistant coach Abhishek Nayar showered praise on skipper Shreyas Iyer ahead of their high-pressure clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 3. Shreyas, who failed to make a cut to India's T20 World Cup 2024's squad, has led KKR well in the ongoing IPL 2024, as the two-time champions are placed second in the points table and have almost qualified for the playoffs. Meanwhile, Nayar amidst Shreyas' snub from India's T20 World Cup squad, lauded the star batter's mental strength and positive outlook, highlighting his resilience through a challenging period in the past few months.
Shreyas Iyer's challenging phase
This period for Iyer was a rollercoaster. He missed the 2023 IPL due to back surgery, focusing on his return for the World Cup held in India. After a successful comeback during the Asia Cup, he continued to battle fitness concerns. Despite these setbacks, he returned to form against Australia, scoring a crucial ODI century and securing his middle-order spot for the World Cup, where he went on to break numerous records.
Nayar's praise comes at a crucial juncture for KKR. Currently sitting comfortably in second place with 12 points, a win against MI will solidify their position and potentially secure a playoff berth. On the other hand, MI desperately needs a win to revive their playoff aspirations, currently languishing in ninth place with just six points. This match promises to be a thrilling clash between two teams with contrasting fortunes.
Shreyas Iyer's World Cup Heroics
After missing the IPL 2023 due to back surgery, Iyer's focus shifted to the ODI World Cup in India. He made a strong comeback during the Asia Cup but continued to battle fitness issues. Nevertheless, his determination paid off. He scored a crucial century against Australia in the lead-up to the World Cup, securing his middle-order spot.
During the ODI World Cup, which India lost in the final against Australia, Iyer peaked at the right time. He smashed fifties against Sri Lanka and South Africa, followed by back-to-back centuries against Netherlands and New Zealand. His 67-ball ton against New Zealand, India's arch-rivals in the semifinals, was the fastest-ever in a World Cup knockout match. This knock cemented his place as a World Cup hero, even though India ended up losing the final against Australia. Iyer finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer among middle-order batters, accumulating 530 runs at an impressive average of 66.25. He achieved two centuries and three fifties, etching his name in World Cup history.
Iyer's Post-World Cup Struggles
However, Iyer's success wasn't sustained. He had a disappointing outing in the Test series against South Africa. Despite playing a Ranji Trophy match in preparation for the home series against England, his poor performance in the first two Tests led to him being dropped.
A back spasm forced him to miss the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, defying the BCCI's directives. While he returned for the semifinals and scored a valuable 95 in the final, back pain hampered his participation in the title clash. Although he contributed to Mumbai's victory, his return to domestic red-ball cricket seemed delayed, resulting in his exclusion from the BCCI's Central Contract list in February.
Iyer, finding his groove at KKR despite missing out on T20 World Cup
Having joined KKR, Shreyas has featured in all their matches so far. While not yet at his World Cup peak, he's contributed consistently, scoring 251 runs in nine games with a decent average of 41.83 and a healthy strike rate of 137.15, including a valuable half-century. Often coming in after the explosive starts provided by openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, Iyer has capitalized well on the built momentum. Despite these contributions, the Mumbaikar couldn't make it to India's T20 World Cup squad. Notably, T20 World Cup 2024, which will be jointly hosted by West Indies and USA, will start from June 2.
However, KKR assistant coach Nayar, who has known Iyer since his early domestic cricket days with Mumbai, speaks highly of his captain's resilience. Nayar describes Iyer as one of the strongest individuals he's encountered, someone who tackles setbacks with a positive attitude.
"He is one of the strongest people, mentally, I have ever known, just in terms of how he has accepted certain things that have happened with him. I would have seen a lot of people cribbing and talking about it, but I have not heard him whine about it or complain about it at all. The way he has approached life is in a positive manner - what is in front of you, you try and accept it," Nayar said at the pre-match press conference.
"Certain things are not under his control but his fitness is in his control, and he is feeling a lot better now. He is great on the field, he is batting longer hours, and he has trained really hard. Our S&Cs (strength and conditioning) and physios have worked hard with him. Mentally, to have a mindset like that after being rejected or not getting his due, he has taken it very positively. Even when he talks about it, he is not negative, he understands he needs to go back and do well," Nayar added.
Nayar commended Iyer's winning mentality, emphasizing his desire to make runs for any team he represents.
"He looks to score runs, it (his setbacks) has affected him but the way he has handled it, kudos to him because I can imagine a lot of people reacting very differently than he has," Nayar concluded.
India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024
Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan.
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