"Stress Is Going To Be Lot...": Under-fire Shreyas Iyer Breaks Silence Ahead Of India vs England Test Series

Shreyas Iyer has been under focus since India's Tour of South Africa ended. The middle-order batter did not have a good Test series as he could not post a single big score in four innings. After that he was not picked for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan and there were speculation that the reason was some disciplinary issue. However, Indian cricket team coach Rahul Dravid clarified that it was not the case and he was not picked as there were other batters in contention. However, Shreyas Iyer will be under focus in the upcoming five-match series against England.

On playing the Ranji Trophy match ahead of the series against England, Shreyas Iyer said on Jio Cinema: "It was a nice experience. I wasn't expecting much from myself to be honest, but I wanted to create a rhythm going forward into the five-Test matches. The intensity will be high. Also, to stand on the field for 90 overs takes a lot of effort, so it all started from here (match against Andhra Pradesh)" 

The talented batter is part of the India squad for the Test series against England, starting later this month. On the challenges of playing a five-Test series: "You have to take one match at a time and not think much ahead. You have to take all the factors into consideration. In terms of your mental ability, the stress is going to be a lot but at the same time, you have to handle the pressure situations well. So, these are the pros and cons of playing Test matches. You have to be mentally inclined towards adapting across 90 overs and as I mentioned, this was the right practice for me coming into the Ranji Trophy and getting used to the situation." 

On developing his game against spin bowling, Shreyas Iyer said: "I grew up playing my cricket in Shivaji Park Gymkhana (Mumbai). The wickets there were predominantly spin-friendly, so I had to adapt and get used to them and be versatile in terms of my approach. Also, I played a lot of tennis-ball cricket in my society which was under-arm and you had to spin the ball. The culmination of all these factors led me to playing spin very well." 

The England team is known for its aggressive style of play, also popularly known as 'Bazball'. On his thoughts on Bazball 

"To be honest, I don't really think about what the opposition is going to do and what kind of mindset they are going to come with. It's important we stick to our own plans and focus on our own abilities rather than concentrate much on our opponents. So, these are the small qualities we have to keep in mind and look forward to put our best foot forward and see to it that we seize the moment," he said. 

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