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Shreyas Iyer turned 29 years old today (December 6). The Indian batter has had his ups and downs due to injuries, but he finally seems to have taken his career to the next level. He was one of India's leading run scorers at the 2023 World Cup.
Iyer scored 530 runs in 11 innings at the event, at an average of 66.25 and a strike rate of 113.24. He was the sole Indian middle order batter who scored runs at a quick rate, which helped the Men in Blue post some mammoth totals during the latter half of the tournament.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper has had some notable moments in his international career so far. Here are the five best:
#5 200 run partnership with Shubman Gill against Australia
Earlier this year, during Australia's tour of India, Shreyas Iyer stitched a fabulous 200 run partnership with Shubman Gill. Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad had been dismissed early, following with Iyer and Gill both scored centuries to put the Men in Blue in a strong position.
This was special for the 29-year-old as it was his first notable performance after returning from an injury. India reached 399/5 due to a cameo by Suryakumar Yadav at the end of the innings, and eventually won the match by 99 runs (DLS method).
#4 First Man of the Match award in international cricket
Shreyas Iyer had made his limited overs debut for India in 2017, but only bagged his first Man of the Match award in 2020. Chasing 204, India were 115-2 when Iyer walked in, and were soon dealt another blow when Virat Kohli departed at 121-3.
The Mumbai batter took the onus on himself to finish the game from there. He struck five boundaries and three sixes to score an unbeaten 58 in just 29 deliveries. Despite much contribution from the other batters, Iyer helped the side reach the target with an over to spare.
#3 Man of the Series and ICC Player of the Month
Shreyas Iyer had a near-perfect T20I series against Sri Lanka in February, 2022. He scored 57* off 28 balls in the 1st T20I, 74* off 44 balls in the 2nd T20I, and 73* off 45 balls in the third T20I. He was Man of the Match in the 2nd and 3rd T20Is.
Scoring 204 unbeaten runs in the three match T20I series against Sri Lanka earned him the Player of the Series award. Moreover, ICC recognised his splendid form at that time by awarding him the ICC Player of the Month for February of 2022.
#2 Shreyas Iyer crossed 500 runs in his first-ever ODI World Cup
Shreyas Iyer was in great touch during the second half of the 2023 World Cup. He scored 82 against Sri Lanka, 77 against South Africa, 128* against the Netherlands, and 105 against New Zealand in consecutive matches.
During the semi-final against New Zealand at Wankhede, Iyer crossed the 500-run mark for the tournament. Moreover, he also managed to silence some doubters who believed he had a weakness against short balls by hitting some some pull shots.
#1 Century on Test debut against New Zealand
The most memorable moment of Shreyas Iyer's international career has to be his century on Test debut against the Kiwis. He scored 105 in the first innings at Kanpur in 2021. He followed that up scoring 65 runs in the second innings.
Despite the match ending in a draw, it was a great personal achievemet for the right-handed batter to score a ton on Test debut, a feat only 113 players have managed to date. Iyer was adjuged Man of the Match for scoring well in both innings.
