'I just want to be in the moment' - Shreyas Iyer on his chances of becoming future captain of India

The New Zealand tour for the Indian team was a bit disappointing, especially after the second half. India did win the T20I series 5-0 but went on to lose the ODI series 3-0. During that series, India’s long term issue of No.4 was solved. Shreyas Iyer, who was knocking at the selector’s door for quite some time now finally cemented his spot at No. 4. During the three-match series, Iyer scored a 50+ score in each of the matches, including a hundred in the first match.

The Mumbai batsman who captained Delhi Capitals in the last season of the IPL was highly impressive in terms of leading a team. He guided Capitals to the third-place finish, the best the franchise has had since 2012. Recently, during an episode of “Spicy Pitch” by Cricbuzz, Iyer talked about his career and ups-downs during the whole time.

Shreyas Iyer reveals how he felt after getting the India cap

Upon being asked leading the Indian side in the near future, Iyer said that he is not thinking about it now. Iyer has been touted as the future captain of the Indian side considering his age and success as a skipper. “Yes, I have. I have not given a thought about it at the moment. I am thinking about the present. Not thinking much about my captaincy in the future. I just want to be in the moment and enjoy it right now”, the Mumbai batsman said.

During the interaction when Iyer was asked about the moment when got his India cap for the first time, the 25-year-old revealed how he felt. “To be honest, I wasn’t that emotional. When I got the cap because I felt that I should have gotten it way before. So whenever I was given the cap, I was like..okay..normal. I didn’t feel much,” Iyer revealed.

Iyer made his international debut against New Zealand in a T20I in Delhi in 2017. Unfortunately, he didn’t bat in that match. He went on to make his ODI debut a month later in Dharamsala against Sri Lanka.

Shreyas Iyer burst out in the scene back in 2014 when he represented India U-19 at the World Cup. Following that, he scored loads of runs for Mumbai in domestic cricket and had also performed quite well for Delhi franchise in the IPL. Unfortunately, the young batsman didn’t get his opportunity until 2017. He didn’t get chances for the Indian team even after his debut.

It was only after the 2019 World Cup, that Iyer started getting regular chances and now has cemented his spot in the Indian side. In 18 ODIs, Iyer has scored 748 runs at an average of 49.87 with a strike rate of 100.81. In 22 T20Is, Iyer has 417 runs with a strike rate of 131.