Definitely feel I can be part of the Test team: Shreyas Iyer

India’s batsman Shreyas Iyer has expressed confidence that he can be part of the Test team. Iyer has been an integral part of the limited-overs team but he is yet to receive his breakthrough in the Test side.

The right-hander has an impressive record in first-class cricket as he has scored 4592 runs in 54 matches at a fine average of 52.18.

Meanwhile, India’s middle order has struggled to get going in the last couple of years. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have failed to deliver the goods for the team as they have been averaging in the 20s in the last two years.

Furthermore, the Indian captain Virat Kohli is also out of form and thus the team is struggling to put enough runs on the board for their bowlers.

On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer has recently recovered from the shoulder injury, which he has suffered in the limited series against England before the IPL. Iyer will now be seen playing for Delhi Capitals in the second phase of the tournament, which will be played in the UAE.

“Whenever I open the Indian Cricket Team’s page on Instagram, I personally feel that I need to be a part of that team because my journey started from red-ball and my Ranji Trophy and India ‘A’ scenarios have been really smooth so far.

So, I feel that I can be a part of that team and help them definitely be as consistent as they are right now. And it’s definitely every kid’s dream to play all formats and you know, it will happen very soon, I am positive about that,” Shreyas Iyer told Sports Today’s YouTube channel in an interview on Sunday.

Iyer added that Test cricket is the pinnacle of the sport as it tests you mentally. The Mumbai batsman feels red-ball cricket is mentally challenging and it will be fun to be part of the current Indian set-up.

“It tests you mentally and physically, both because five days, standing on the ground, it’s not an easy task. I’ve done that in the past and you know, we used to play eight games back-to-back in the Ranji Trophy… that takes a lot of toll on your mind, it’s a totally different level. Especially with the way the Indian team is going right now, I personally feel it would be fun to be a part of it.”

Iyer added that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have set higher benchmarks for the other players to follow.

“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have raised the bar for all players in the team. All of us try to follow in their footsteps, try to be in their shoes and to [understand] what kind of mindset they go through. They have maintained that benchmark and our goal is to, you know, provide the same kind of energy to the upcoming youngsters in the team and also have a similar kind of mindset which becomes contagious,” Iyer concluded.