Going in and out of the team doesn’t set a good pattern, feels Shreyas Iyer

It’s been more than one and half years since Shreyas Iyer made his debut for India. But he has only donned the national jersey in six ODIs and as many T20Is. His last appearance for the Men in Blue was in the ODI series against South Africa in February 2018. After waiting in the wings for an eternity, Iyer has managed to break into the Indian team for the tour of the West Indies.

The 24-year-old has been picked to play the ODI and T20I series. The Mumbaikar recently played the unofficial One Day series for India A versus West Indies A and had scores of 77, 2, 47 and 61*. Meanwhile, Iyer reckons that going in and out of the team creates self-doubt in a player. Iyer told that if one is a good player, then he should get a long rope to prove his class at the highest level.

It was my dream to play the World Cup

“If you are really a good talent, then you need a certain amount of chances to prove yourself and get acclimatised to the conditions. If you keep coming in and going out (of the team), it doesn’t really set a good pattern for one’s self and you start disbelieving yourself. If you are a great talent, then you need some time,” Iyer was quoted as saying in The Times of India (TOI).

Iyer was disappointed after he wasn’t picked in the 15-man squad for the 2019 World Cup. However, he doesn’t want to clutter his mind with the disappointment and wishes to look into the future. Iyer also understands the complexities in forming a team combination that led to his omission for the mega event.

“It was difficult to not get selected. It was my dream to play the World Cup for my country. I know there are a few opportunities that I got but unfortunately the team combination was such that it didn’t demand me to be there, “the talented youngster added.

Albeit he hasn’t played for India much, he has a decent record at the domestic circuit. He averages 52.18 and 42.93 in first-class and List A cricket respectively. The right-hander is also the skipper of the Delhi Capitals in the prestigious Indian Premier League.