When it comes to Shreyas Iyer and Kolkata, it’s not primarily about Kolkata Knight Riders. It was at Eden Gardens in late 2014 when as a greenhorn he made an impact on a greentop against a fairly competent Bengal attack in a Ranji Trophy match.
Weeks later, he was up against a four-pronged Tamil Nadu spin challenge on a turner at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Mumbai lost by an innings, Wasim Jaffer shook his head in disgust, a new generation from that powerhouse of a team flopped and Iyer burnt bright. S Sharath, the current India selector, was among the sparse crowd. He burst in applause after those two half-centuries.
A lot of things happened since. Iyer scored a century on Test debut, became one of most telling batters in the white-ball variety and earned a reputation for being a successful leader in the Indian Premier League. As a glaring anomaly in the chronicle of a gifted batter coming from the greatest place of batting heritages, his Test credentials never got established. Not being in the India A squad even is a testament to that. People who decide didn’t deem him fit for England in England.
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It’s a blessing in disguise. The Indian batting arsenal for the five-Test series is undercooked and inexperienced. Only a handful of the bunch has faced those conditions. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have made runs and so has Ravindra Jadeja. But by reasonable estimates, when it comes to consistency and providing assurance, the stocks are not high. There is a high probability that not many from this line-up will return with reputations enhanced. There are examples from the past. No disrespect here, just that the elements and other factors could turn out to be unfriendly.
From that point of view, there is a possibility that a few names in the middle-order will be left out when India play next. That will be at home against the West Indies and South Africa. Iyer will be one of the first names to walk into the side in that eventuality. Given his abilities, levels of confidence and maturity to keep quiet during periods of controversy, he has it in him to destroy those attacks and other demons.
It’s not prudent to surmise that exclusion from a marquee competition is good for the career of a professional sportsperson. It is supposed to be detrimental. However, as things also happen in sports sometimes, the unforeseen comes to the fore. Iyer has all it takes to rip apart most of the bowling attacks on Indian pitches unless they are treacherous. He should be licking his lips. Not right now. But not too far away either.
Also Read: Why Shardul Thakur should be India’s choice at No. 8