Last Updated:
Shreyas Iyer has often copped criticism for his weakness against the short deliveries.
Shreyas Iyer will make his India return with the England ODIs next month. (PTI Photo)
Shreyas Iyer isn’t a big fan of unsolicited advice on his batting especially when it’s about his apparent weakness against the short-pitched deliveries. Iyer says he gets ‘irritated’ when people who haven’t faced express pace tell him how to overcome the challenge.
However, the India middle-order batter does concede that others have a right to opinion and can have that discussion among themselves.
“It’s irritating, especially when it comes from people, who haven’t faced 150 km per hour delivery, advising you to play in a particular way,” Iyer told The Indian Express. “But I would say it is their opinion. They have all the right to talk, but they can talk between themselves not to the player directly.”
Iyer had a terrific 2023 ODI World Cup that saw him score 530 runs in 11 innings at an average of 66.25. He scored two centuries as well.
While the performance should have taken Iyer’s India career to another level, he ended up irking the BCCI by not appearing in a domestic match for Mumbai which resulted in his name being omitted from the annual contract list.
Iyer says he’s been watching baseball videos to improve his game.
“Yes, I have seen a lot of videos on YouTube on how you basically get the shoulder and hip separation. That has helped me a lot in terms of power hitting. It plays a vital role, especially in T20s where you switch your gears and try to accelerate at any given point,” he said.
Iyer was signed by Punjab Kings for Rs 26.75 crore at the IPL mega auction last year making him the second-most expensive player in the league’s history.
The 30-year-old says though he was expecting a ‘good amount’ but not what PBKS ended up splurging on him.
“During the auction, we were in Hyderabad, watching it from our rooms and I was expecting a good amount. But I never thought that I would exceed a point and there would be so much competition between two teams over me. Overall, I was thrilled. After a certain point, I shut the door, went into the washroom and I was like, I don’t want to listen to what’s happening,” he said.
