The Eminent Star Shreyas Iyer

February 28, 2024

A budding star on the cricket horizon, Shreyas Iyer is here to imprint his name in the world of cricket with his impeccable zeal for cricket and unperturbed dedication on the pitch. A down-to-earth person, the cricketer has his name etched in the hearts of millions with his exemplary performances.

Shreyas Iyer was born on December 6th, 1994 in a close-knit Malayali family of four – mother, father, a younger sister and Shreyas himself. From the very beginning, Iyer was inclined more towards sports than academic excellence. His parents realized his passion for sports at a very early stage. Iyer has completed his primary education at Don Bosco High School. After completing his schooling, he pursued his graduation from Ramniranjan Anandilal Podar College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai. Iyer who got indulged in sports for the sake of fun now started fostering dreams to become a cricketer and make his country proud. At the age of 18, while practising at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana, Iyer was spotted by a coach Pravin Amre. On looking at Iyer’s versatile playing skills, Amre very shortly realized his calibre and knew with better training and guidance, this Malayali boy could do wonders in the world of cricket. Amre religiously trained Iyer during his initial cricket days. Hardcore practices, sheer dedication and unwavering zest helped to transform this bubbly boy into one of the strongest cricket players whose bewildering performances we relish on the pitch now.

Rise & Shine

Nothing can come in between the path of a true achiever and Iyer’s journey is a living proof of that. Iyer was showered with luck when he first got to play for India in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. He used this golden chance to prove his mettle and scored 5 consecutive half-centuries in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. He also got a chance to play for the United Kingdom Trent Bridge cricket team where he played three matches and scored 297 runs at an average of 99. Iyer initiated his cricket career with a List A debut for the Mumbai cricket team by playing in the 2014-15 Vijay Hazare Trophy. During that tournament, he scored 273 runs at an average of 54.60. The right-hand batter made his top-notch cricket debut in December 2014 during the 2014–15 Ranji Trophy. He scored a total of 809 runs at an average of 50.56, which included two centuries and 6 half-centuries. The second season of Ranji Trophy was even better for Shreyas, in which he scored a record of more than 1300 runs in a season at an impressive average of almost 74. He was then made the Vice Captain of the Mumbai team for the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Apart from this, Iyer also took over the captaincy of the Indian B team in the 2018-19 Deodhar Trophy. He was also the top scorer in the Deodhar Trophy with 199 runs in three matches. In February 2019, he became the first Indian batsman to score the highest innings in T20 by scoring 147 runs in the 2018–19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Iyer made his IPL debut in the year 2015. He was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2.6 crore in the 2015 IPL auction. It was amusing because Iyer became the most expensive uncapped player in the tournament. During that season, he won the hearts of the fans by scoring 439 runs in 14 matches at an average of 33.76 and a strike rate of 128.36. Due to Iyer’s excellent performance, he was also given the Best Player of the Year award for the emerging player. Delhi Capitals also retained Shreyas Iyer in the 2018 IPL auction. In 2018, after Gautam Gambhir retired from the position of captain, Iyer was made the honourable captain of the team.

Going International

Iyer’s brilliance and remarkable performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and IPL caught the attention of the selectors and he was selected in the Indian team for the T20 series against New Zealand. Iyer made his international debut in the T20 against New Zealand on 1 November 2017. However, Iyer did not get a chance to bat in his first T20 match. Iyer scored his first T20I half-century against Bangladesh in November 2019 and India won the match by 30 runs. Iyer carved a record of scoring five consecutive half-centuries in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. In 2014, Iyer played three matches for the UK Trent Bridge cricket team. Where he made the highest score of 171 and scored 297 runs at an average of 99. During the 2015-2016 Ranji Trophy, he was the top scorer by scoring 930 runs in 13 innings at an impressive average of 71. He is the second player to score more than 1300 runs in a Ranji season. At the age of 23, Iyer became the youngest captain in the history of IPL team Delhi Capitals. Shreyas Iyer is the fourth Indian batsman to score a fifty in three consecutive T20s. On 25 November 2021, Shreyas Iyer made his Test debut against New Zealand, where he scored 105 runs with the help of 13 fours and 2 sixes in his first innings. He became the 16th Indian player to score a century in his debut Test match.

Awards & Fame

Iyer has been recognized for his phenomenal performances and has been awarded ‘IPL Emerging Player of the Year’ in the year 2015, ‘SV Rajadhaksha Trophy’ for the most runs scored in the Ranji Trophy and ‘CEAT Indian Domestic Cricketer of the Year’ in the year 2016. This young player has a net worth of 70 crore rupees and has done brand endorsement of many prominent brands including Dream11, CEAT, Boat and Google Pixel. There is no doubt that this right-handed batsman is going to grow and become one of the best players the country has ever seen. With his classic form and persistence in the field, Iyer will surely make it to the big leagues of cricket. Iyer often shares glimpses of his broody looks on social media platforms which are relished by his 9.8 million fans who leave heart-shaped and drooling emoticons on his posts. He is also often caught sharing witty videos with her sister – Shresta Iyer.

Iyer is a kind-hearted person and a true gem in the blue team who has proven his versatility time and again with eliciting performances.