IPL 2019 | Indian Premier League performances will impact National team selection, believes Shreyas Iyer

03/17/2019

Delhi Capitals’ skipper Shreyas Iyer reckons that a great outing in this year’s IPL tournament will improve his chances of getting back into the Indian cricket team in the near future. Iyer admitted that his current squad looks good on paper but added that they need to prove themselves on the pitch.

Ahead of the start of the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League, the 24-year old Delhi Capitals captain is confident that his side has the potential to work wonders in this year’s tournament. The Mumbai-born batsman is adamant that a good outing in the IPL will improve his chances of making it back into the Indian cricket team ahead of the upcoming 2019 ICC ODI World Cup in May.

“In IPL if I get a great start then it could really impact the selections. Selectors will be thinking twice about me. That’s what I am really looking forward to. But I have been doing well in all formats, not just IPL. So definitely this IPL they will be looking.

“Gagan Khoda spoke to me and said that I have been doing well and asked me to keep up the consistency. Never spoke to me about the selection process or something, he was just talking about the present that time,” he said. “Every player wants to play for the country, that is the eventual goal. I was disappointed when I was dropped and fairly not getting chances. But when your teams doing well that’s more important. But for now, the focus is on IPL and leading Delhi to glory,” Iyer said in a recent interview with the Indian Express.

The current Capitals squad is filled with high-profile stars on paper but if there is one team which knows how momentum could swing things in a negative direction then it has to be Delhi Capitals. Delhi was a side known for its explosive youngsters but this season they also have added experienced performers like Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada and Colin Ingram to their arsenal.

“For now the team is looking amazing. But as we all know that the main idea is to replicate that on the ground. Last year we weren’t getting great starts with the openers. But as the tournament progressed we started winning and that helped us get a few positives. So we sat down and analyzed what went wrong and are now happy with what we have. In case anyone gets injured or leaves mid-way we have an equally good bench strength with 25 players in the squad. A lot of newcomers are among them and they will be looking to give their best.

“The Team management is new and there is a mindset of positivity which is lately spreading around. People are believing in each other. Management plays an important role as they need to be motivating (irrespective of the result). This time we have it,” Iyer added.