I’m talented, but need to keep my feet on the ground and work hard, admits Shreyas Iyer

When Shreyas finally made his mark on the domestic scene, five to six years ago, many-a-fan and many-a-pundit went to the classic old line, 'Oh look, another Mumbaikar who is so talented.’ Such a line would usually come across as annoying to most cricketers, but not the 25-year-old, who says he is learning to accept it with grace.

“When people say, 'Oh look, Shreyas is such a bundle of talent', well, yes, I am really grateful for that and I'm learning to accept it with humility. I realise I need to have my feet on the ground. Talent is merely the first step from where one needs to start working hard. From there, working out a career is a long way off. But yes, I'm thankful for what I am naturally gifted with,” Shreyas told TOI in an interview.

Though his breakthrough season came way back in 2015-16, Shreyas had to wait until late 2017 to make his international debut in one-day formats of the game. Despite some reasonable performances, the middle-order batsman did not go to the World Cup in England last year. However, immediately after the tournament, Shreyas was called-up to India’s limited-overs setup to solve the No.4 problem.

And since, the Delhi Capitals skipper has made the slot his own, notching up his maiden ODI hundred in the recent tour of New Zealand. But Shreyas is keen to take one step at a time — the next assignment being the three ODIs against South Africa. 

“It's one step at a time. The first thing on mind is the series against South Africa. The recent series in New Zealand, especially the T20 series, was a fulfilling one. There's a lot of cricket, so let's take it innings by innings, series by series,” Shreyas added.