India’s middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer on how it feels to win IPL title for Kolkata Knight Riders and now the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Mumbai
Mumbai skipper Shreyas Iyer with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at Wankhede yesterday. Pic/Shadab Khan
Shreyas Iyer’s talent and ability will earn him more laurels, but he will always look back at 2024 with a great deal of satisfaction. It’s been a year when he captained Kolkata Knight Riders to an Indian Premier League triumph and on Sunday, as captain of Mumbai, Iyer guided the side to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy triumph in Bangalore.
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‘Staying in the present’
“The best learning I have got from all these things is to stay in the present... enjoy the moment. Once I start to think about the future and the past, I am in a cluster. I somehow try to blame a certain person. I seek happiness when I am sitting right here talking to you, staying in the present,” said Iyer on the sidelines of a felicitation for the victorious team, organised by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).
In reply to mid-day’s question on how special it is for him to lead yet another team to a triumph this year, Iyer said: “It’s very, very special. I am grateful to each and every individual who has supported me through this journey. It’s a tremendous feeling to be lifting both trophies in the same year. It feels ecstatic to have trophies under my belt. It gives you a lot of motivation and is inspiring at the same time because I know the expectations will be higher now and there will be pressure.”
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Iyer last represented the country in an ODI against Sri Lanka at Colombo last August. While revealing the reasons behind Mumbai’s top-class performances, Iyer, who scored 345 runs in the tournament, including a century, said: “We have built a mindset in the dressing room and on the field that no matter the situation, we will face it head on. As they say, take the bull by the horns and that’s what we have been doing throughout the season. Hopefully, we will maintain that momentum throughout.”
The middle-order batsman lavished praise on senior batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who emerged the tournament’s top run-getter with 469: “Ajinkya was ready to bite the bullet and he did it. And at the end of the tournament, he was the highest run scorer, man of the series. Kudos to him.”
Winners rewarded
This is Mumbai’s third title-winning performance in the last 10 months. In March under Rahane, Mumbai beat Vidarbha for their 42nd Ranji Trophy title at Wankhede Stadium. Seven months later, they beat Rest of India to clinch their 15th Irani Cup title at Lucknow. Meanwhile, MCA president Ajinkya Naik announced that the association will reward the team R80 lakh in addition to BCCI’s cash reward of R80 lakh.
Iyer, the leader!
In a caption in mid-day dated December 16, we had mentioned Ajinkya Rahane as Mumbai’s SMAT-winning skipper. It should have been Shreyas Iyer. The error is regretted.
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