'I haven't got the chance' - Shreyas Iyer's old chat with Ravi Ashwin goes viral following his stellar show in Sri Lanka Tests

Shreyas Iyer brought his A-game out during the recently-concluded Test series against Sri Lanka as India recorded a 2-0 triumph. While the right-handed batter scored 27 in the opening Test, he recorded twin fifties in the final game in Bengaluru, which was a day-night affair. Most of the Indian batters couldn’t make a mark as the pink cherry was doing a lot of talking.

Moreover, the track also had a lot of assistance for bowlers. However, Iyer embraced the challenge and played counter-attacking knocks. He recorded scores of 92 and 67 as the hosts clinched the contest by 238 runs. His brilliance even earned him the Player-of-the-Match award. Meanwhile, following the conclusion of the Bengaluru Test, Iyer’s old conversation with veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin went viral.

My first priority was to play Test cricket: Shreyas Iyer

Last year, Iyer featured in Ashwin’s YouTube talk show, “DRS with Ashwin” before the start of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Back then, the right-handed batter was yet to make his Test debut. As Iyer has an average and a strike rate of over 50 and 80 respectively in First-Class cricket, Ashwin asked about his ambitions to play Test cricket.

In reply, Iyer seemed dejected to have not played a Test match yet. He had also revealed an interesting story.  “Obviously, my first priority was to play Test cricket when I first started playing cricket. My first-class record has been really amazing so far. I have always played attacking cricket in domestic, but, yeah, I haven’t got the chance,” quipped Iyer.

“I have got one run-out. I didn’t make my debut but I still got one run-out. That’s an achievement for me. This was against Australia in Dharamsala. Virat (Kohli) had a shoulder issue and I came in as a replacement (fielder),” he added.

Cut to 2022, Iyer has played four Test matches so far and has a couple of half-centuries alongside a debut hundred under his belt. With the World Test Championship final taking place next year, the 27-year-old would like to extend his purple patch in whites.