"I kept crying throughout the journey" - Shreyas Iyer recalls playing a match right after his grandmother's demise
Indian batter Shreyas Iyer recently spoke about how he played a selection match soon after the demise of his grandmother during his U14 days.
Speaking on Mashable India's show, The Bombay Journey, Iyer mentioned that he was stunned by the turn of events. He recalled that he kept on crying during the journey to the ground.
The right-handed batter stated that he hit a half-century in the game and dedicated it to his late grandmother. Shreyas Iyer said:
"My grandmother passed away when I was 14. I had a selection match on the same day. I could not believe what was happening to me when I woke up. I still remember I was travelling on the 83 number bus. I kept crying throughout the journey. I ended up getting a half-century in the game, and I dedicated that innings to her."
The talented batter also spoke about how there was a time when his father asked him to quit cricket to focus on his studies. Iyer suggested that he was taken aback by the same, and went on to promise his parents that he is going to be a successful cricketer one day.
He elaborated:
"There was a phase when I was not selected for under-19 and wasn't performing well either. My dad had asked me if I still wanted to continue with cricket as he felt that I should focus on my studies and become something else. I was shocked by that. I wanted to prove something and I promised them that I'd be the best cricketer."
Notably, Iyer has been in tremendous form this year, especially in ODI cricket. The 28-year-old has mustered 724 runs in 17 outings, the most by an Indian batter in the ongoing calendar year.
"When I was playing age-group cricket, to play for India was never my goal" - Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer disclosed that during the initial days of his career, his ultimate goal was to represent the Mumbai team in the Ranji Trophy. He mentioned that he did not aim for the India cap back then.
During the aforementioned video, Iyer added:
"When I was playing age-group cricket, my goal was not to play for India. All I wanted was to play in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai. Playing for Mumbai used to be one of the biggest achievements at the time. People used to dream about getting that logo of the lion on the helmet."
Shreyas Iyer is a part of India's squad for their upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh. The opening encounter is scheduled to be played at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, starting on Wednesday, December 14.