Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer, once targeted with short-balls, has said that he used it as inspiration to get better after feeling like the criticism surrounding it would ‘trigger’ him.
People around Iyer would often say certain things would no longer be possible for him to do, especially after injuries.
“When I had my back injury, some people said I would never be the same again. I asked myself, ‘why can’t I be?’ The way you shape your mindset after an injury is important. You choose what to focus on and what to ignore,” Iyer said on JioHotstar’s ‘Believe’.
He then spoke about how he applied the same mindset to his short-ball problem and how he fixed the issue.
ALSO READ | Most successful IPL captains: Where does Shreyas Iyer rank among top captains in history?
“People said I would never fix my short-ball problem. That triggered me. I wanted to prove them wrong by performing well, so I worked hard on it. Earlier, I would just take a single or try to keep the ball down, but now my mindset has changed. If I see a short ball in my zone, I am going to hit it for a six. I work with Pravin Amre; I have been with him since I was young. I also talk to coaches like Abhishek Nayar. We share ideas,” said Iyer.
One of the crowning moments this season in the IPL was when the Mumbai batter swiveled on his feet and took a Jasprit Bumrah rising ball out to the stands.
Iyer detailed what he did to get better at short balls, saying that he continued repeated practices of the ball and spoke about how he found an approach after looking at batsmen such as AB de Villiers, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
“During my batting practice, I now try to play around 50 overs and face over 300 balls. That helps me understand what works for me. I don’t follow a fixed pattern. I give myself more time in the middle and face real bowlers, not just sidearm throws. The more I face bowlers, the clearer my movement becomes. I focus on creating a rhythm. Just before the bowler delivers, I try to get into my position quickly. That creates a flow. You must have seen AB de Villiers do that. Even Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have that rhythm before playing their shots. I try to do the same,” Iyer said.
