Shreyas Iyer has been in the news ever since his fabulous catch that saw the back of Hardik Pandya during the Mumbai Indians-Punjab Kings Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday night.
Under pressure after just 14 runs off 11 balls, the Mumbai Indians captain went for a big shot off Marco Jansen. He dragged it way outside his off stump and hoicked it over long-on while losing his right hand off the bat.
Iyer was the next person in action. He jumped over the rope and caught the ball with both hands above him, but released it in time for Xavier Bartlett, who was stationed nearby, to complete the relay catch.
Also News: BCCI takes action after Romi Bhinder found guilty; ACU ‘unsatisfied’ with RR manager’s protocol breach explanation
Social media has since been abuzz. Iyer later played a match-innings of 66 off 35 balls to help his team thrash the hosts, but it’s his catch that has caught the imagination of all and sundry, including the great man Sachin Tendulkar. The former India batsman wrote a post on X and made it amply clear what he thought of Iyer’s efforts. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Tendulkar was extremely impressed.
Praise from the great man himself!
“What made Shreyas Iyer’s catch so special was not just the athleticism, but the awareness behind it.
“He had to judge the speed of the ball, the height, where the boundary rope was, how close he was to stepping on it, and get his jump absolutely perfect.
“Then, while still in the air, he caught the ball and released it to a teammate before landing, all the while knowing exactly where that fielder was positioned.
“To process all of that in a split second takes unbelievable awareness, timing, fitness, and composure.
“Got everything spot on. One of the best catches I’ve ever seen live!” Tendulkar wrote.
Iyer has been a revelation in the Indian Premier League for the last few seasons. He won the league with Kolkata Knight Riders before joining Punjab Kings the very next year in a shock move. And in his first season with the North-Indian side, he almost did the unthinkable. He captained them to the playoffs, their first since 2014, and eventually they lost a close match to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final. The clamour for him has increased manifold of late, with fans and experts urging the Indian selectors to include him in their T20I scheme of things real quick.