Shreyas Iyer's splendour leaps Mumbai to the title

The winner of the 2015 IPL Emerging Player award, Shreyas Iyer made headlines playing for the Delhi Daredevils. He smashed 439 runs in 14 innings with a 33.76 average and a strike rate of 128.36 taking on the best bowlers of the opposition. He opened the innings and gave rollicking starts to his team showcasing incredible lofted shots, especially down the ground.

Iyer made his List A debut for Mumbai in November 2014 playing in the 2014–15 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 273 runs in that tournament at an average of 54.60. He made his first-class cricket debut in December 2014 during the 2014–15 Ranji Trophy. He scored a total of 809 runs at an average of 50.56 including two centuries. The most remarkable phase of his career though has been the current season of India’s premier domestic competition. His performances have helped Mumbai lift their 41st title by beating Saurashtra in the final in Pune. The knock he played in the big match will be remembered for a long time to come.

Shreyas Iyer finished the current season of the Ranji Trophy as the leading run scorer with a staggering 1321 runs at an average of 73.80. The most astonishing aspect though is his strike rate of 92.70. This indicates the kind of dominance that hasn’t always been a common sight among young batsmen in the domestic circuit in recent times. He thus created history as his dismissal in the final left him just 95 runs short of VVS Laxman’s record for the most runs in a Ranji Trophy season.

Two balls after he was dropped early in his innings in the final he walked down the pitch and spanked the ball over the bowler’s head for six. Then, he hit a delightful back-foot punch and hammered one over midwicket. Before Saurashtra knew what had hit them, Iyer raced away to 51 while the team’s total was 66 for 2 at lunch. And thus began the run-feast for a better part of the next three hours, where his swagger surfaced in all its glory.

For someone who struggled to make the cut immediately at any of the age-groups for Mumbai, it’s incredible how Iyer has become as a key figure in the batting line-up. The reaction after bringing up his century – looking up to the heavens, soaking in the applause of his team-mates – suggested the maturity of the 20-year-old, who, in only his second season, has underlined his importance in the Mumbai set-up. After all, walking in at 0 for 1 on a green top, and then bringing up a 114-ball 100 is no mean feat and the national selectors are sure to make a note of this splendid innings which might prove a turning point in Iyer’s career.