[WATCH] “Didn’t know Iyers are not from Maharashtra” - Shardul Thakur and Shreyas Iyer relive Mumbai memories as they take tram ride in Christchurch

Team India cricketers and childhood friends Shardul Thakur and Shreyas Iyer got nostalgic and relived their old Mumbai memories as they took a tram ride in Christchurch. The two cricketers have played together since their starting days and have developed a strong bond that has remained intact.

The Men in Blue are currently in Christchurch for the third and final ODI of the series against New Zealand, which will be played at the Hagley Oval on Wednesday, November 30. The match is a must-win one for the visitors since they are 0-1 down in the series. The second game at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday was abandoned due to rain.

On Tuesday, November 29, BCCI's official website shared a video of Thakur and Iyer going back in time and recalling their early memories of each other while exploring the beauty of Christchurch via a tram ride.

Thakur shared an interesting anecdote from his first interaction with Iyer and said:

“There was one of these games. We were playing in Virar (Palghar district) if I am not wrong. I remember, that time he was a bit chubby with his cheeks out. He was cute. I spoke to him in Marathi. I didn’t know that Iyers are not from Maharashtra. For me, everyone was the same. I spoke to him in Marathi and he didn’t answer much.

“So I asked him, do you understand Marathi or do you talk. He said, ‘nahi nahi mujhe samajtha hai Marathi. Aap baat karo Marathi mein’ (You talk in Marathi, I can understand). Mujhe aap karke bol raha tha tabhi (He was calling me ‘aap’ - a respectful manner of saying 'you' in Hindi).”

Apart from Thakur and Iyer, India’s skipper for the ODI series, Shikhar Dhawan, also made an appearance in the video. The trio revisited their memories of traveling, comparing train journeys in the midst of the tram ride.

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Shardul Thakur and Shreyas Iyer experienced contrasting fortunes in the 1st ODI

Thakur and Iyer were part of Team India’s playing XI for the opening ODI of the series at Eden Park in Auckland. The visitors lost the game by seven wickets.

The Men in Blue batted first after losing the toss and posted 306/7. Iyer top-scored for the team with 80 off 76 balls, while Dhawan contributed 72 off 77.

Thakur, however, had a forgettable match. He went for 63 runs in nine overs, one of which went for 25. The Kiwis romped home to victory in 47.1 overs.