'Dekh Shreyas': Here's What Sachin Tendulkar Told a 14-Year-Old Shreyas Iyer Ahead of a Tournament

Shreyas Iyer had a memorable 2022 during which he scored 1609 runs from 39 matches which is the third most by any batter during the calendar year in international cricket. The list was topped by Babar Azam (2598 runs from 44 matches) with Litton Das (1921 runs from 42 matches) finishing second.

Shreyas struck a century and 14 half-centuries last year and will be aiming to build on it with a host of major tournaments slated to be held in 2023 including Asia Cup and ODI World Cup aside from a potential World Test Championship final (if India qualify for it).

Such has been Shreyas’ impact that he’s also been projected as a future India captain.

The 28-year-old recently recalled his first meeting with batting legend Sachin Tendulkar when he was just 14 and how he was lucky enough to ask a couple of questions regarding batting stance and technique.

“I was 14-year-old and Sachin sir had come to BKC to give us motivation for a tournament,” Shreyas told Mashable India. “That was the first time ever I met him and a one-on-one chat happened in the Ranji Trophy final. We had a brief chat and I asked him about technique and stance, which keeps on changing during matches. I asked him, “What should I do?” He replied, ‘Dekh Shreyas (Look Shreyas), what you feel is perfect for that day, that is the right thing to do.”

Shreyas also discovered how ‘obsessed’ Tendulkar, the most prolific batter in the history of international cricket, was with the game.

“Sachin sir is so obsessed with cricket. He will keep on speaking and give you so many tips. He said that “do whatever you feel comfortable with on that particular day,” he said.

Shreyas will be next seen in action during the three-match ODI series between India and Sri Lanka that gets underway from January 10 in Guwahati.

India ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh

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