'I was determined to prove to everyone I could bat'
Shreyas Iyer on his initiation to cricket, going for big bucks in the IPL auction, and the impact Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had on his career
Shashank Kishore
06-Nov-2015
Iyer on the IPL auction: "We were playing the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Delhi in Cuttack and our coach strictly said that we were not go to the dressing room and switch on the TV" • BCCI
Shreyas Iyer is one of the early pace-setters this Ranji Trophy season. With a century, the third fastest double-hundred in the tournament's history, and a match-winning 82 in a low-scoring thriller, he is already turning heads. Iyer, who has carried Mumbai's batting so far this season, has had an interesting initiation into cricket. Here's his story in his own words.
You wanted to be a footballer?
I used to be a striker for my school, but my father felt cricket had more scope. I grew up admiring Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, so I chose cricket. Initially it used to be rubber-ball cricket in my colony, but because of space constraints, invariably, there used to be complaints. So my father enrolled me at the Worli Sports Club opposite my house when I was 11. That is when I began taking the game seriously.
School cricket in Mumbai is serious business. How was your experience of it?
My school wasn't really cricket-oriented, so we used to compete without the pressure of having to win. I used to be petrified at the thought of facing tall and over-aged bowlers initially. Maybe that helped.
Not many know you were picked as a bowler who could bat
That's an interesting story. I was not picked immediately at any level, be it Under-14, Under-16 or Under-19. So apart from my batting, I bowled legspin. In one of the selection tournaments for Mumbai Under-19, I happened to pick 34 wickets. So I was finally picked, but as a bowling allrounder.
Was that the turning point then?
Not really. I batted at No.8 in a Cooch Behar Trophy match against Himachal Pradesh (2012). I made a duck and wondered if I I would get another chance. In the same match, we were following on, and the coach thought it would be better to send me in so that I could shield the other batsmen. We were fighting for a draw, but I went out and made a century. It was my first century at any level for Mumbai. After that I knew, I will be picked in every game from there on. That helped.
How did you get over the disappointment of the Under-19 World Cup?
I used to cry in the team bus on our way back after every game, but was determined to prove it to everyone I could bat. I was disappointed to have been left out till the quarter-finals. In the qualifying games, I got my chance and made two fifties. That boosted my morale.
And your initiation into first-class cricket was not easy either
After I failed in my first two games, I did not expect to be picked. But on the eve of our match against Uttar Pradesh in Kanpur, Pravin Amre sir came to my room and gave me the confidence that I was playing. So excited I was on match day that I left my whites and shoes in the hotel itself, and I only realized it before going to bat, I think it was the second day. I borrowed Shardul Thakur's whites. Pravin sir was unhappy. In my head I was being knocked. I knew if I did not score runs there, I would have been bombarded from all sides. Luckily, I got 75 and we won the match.
Before the IPL, the girls who I used to message didn't care to reply. After the IPL, the same girls who used to talk to me occasionally started messaging me everyday. After that I stopped talking to them
Then the auction that shot you into stardom..
We were playing the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Delhi in Cuttack and our coach strictly said that we will not go to the dressing room and switch on the TV. All of us had one side of our brain on the auctions, and the other on the match. So, we really could not concentrate in the first innings because all of them were keen what price we will be picked up for or if we will be picked up at all. Later in the evening, after the match when I switched on my phone, it was flooded.
How did the IPL change you?
It didn't change me, but it changed other people (laughs). Before the IPL, the girls who I used to message didn't care to reply. After the IPL, the same girls who used to talk to me occasionally started messaging me everyday. After that I stopped talking to them.
What was your IPL debut like?
I could not move my legs. When I took my first run, I felt I was stuck between the wickets. I was thinking if I could make it to the next ball or not. It was really one of the best experiences I have ever had, facing some of the best bowlers. Seeing all the international bowlers walk past by you is a great feeling.
When did it dawn upon you that you were being touted as a batting star for the future?
Once at the nets I kept clapping for every shot that someone hit. Amre sir yelled loudly "Saale, kal kuch kar. Pichhle do match mein bahaar baithkar dusron ke liye taali maar raha hai. Wahaan jaake khel, log tereko taali bajayenge." [Bugger, do something tomorrow. You've been sitting outside and clapping for others. Go out there and score, others will clap for you].
How do you switch off between matches?
I'm on the playstation, or else I go out and play football. I enjoy movies and sitcoms. I love reading motivational books too.
Which book has left a lasting impression on you?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's autobiography. That was one of the best books I have ever read.
What did you learn from that book?
That attitude is everything. I mean, in a positive way. I was a shy boy, but that book turned me into a rebel. The confidence he has is amazing.
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo