'He had a tough phase where he lost his BCCI central contract.'
' That was the time I made sure he stays in a good frame of mind.'
'I told him to respect the game and work hard without bothering about the results.'
'That was the phase when nobody was with him.'
Shreyas Iyer's return to the Indian team has been nothing short of remarkable.
He endured a turbulent 2024 when he found himself out of the Indian team and was axed from the BCCI Central Contracts after missing a domestic match despite his superb showing with the bat in the 2023 World Cup.
But he fought his way back with great determination, leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title, before he was called back to the Indian ODI for the three-match series in Sri Lanka, where he managed just 38 runs in three games.
However, he went back to domestic cricket where he scored loads of runs while also leading Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and was also part of the Irani Cup winning team.
The 30 year old continued his superb run in ODIs with three classy knocks against England in February.
In the Champions Trophy too, he was quite dependable at No. 4, hitting successive half-centuries against Pakistan and New Zealand, while scoring vital 40s on tough pitches against Australia in the semis and against New Zealand in the final.
His long-time coach Pravin Amre sheds light on the relentless work behind Shreyas' resurgence and how he cemented his place in the Indian ODI team.
"My role was to inspire him. He had some tough times last year, not only off the field but physically also he had a few issues," Amre tells Rediff.com's Harish Kotian.
"Shreyas likes a challenge, tough situations, playing against the top teams."
Shreyas played some vital knocks in the middle order especially in run chases during the Champions Trophy. His batting against spin proved crucial for India.
How important was his role in the ICC Champions Trophy triumph?
Batting at No. 4 is a very challenging role, especially in ODIs, because when you come to bat sometimes the score is 10/2 or sometimes it is 100/2, so you should have that ability to adapt.
When you come in early you should be able to handle the pace bowlers or when you come to bat in the middle overs you will come up against spinners, and your role is to ensure that you maintain the momentum and tempo.
So you need that skill to adapt to the different situations.
For me as a coach, it was a challenge too. My role was to inspire him. He had some tough times last year, not only off the field but physically also he had a few issues.
He had a back injury then shoulder injury and he was out for some time. It was a long waiting period for us too, we were only waiting for him to get physically fit so we could work with him.
My sessions are always hectic and tiring so he needed to be 100 perfect fit. So that is the reason we had to wait for him to get fully fit.
We were in touch with his physios, even when we had our sessions, we made sure he did his rehab properly, so he will not carry the injury.
Technically, we had to work on a lot of things, like how to play against fast bowlers and against spinners as well.
Shreyas got a few short balls during the Champions Trophy but he managed to cope well by playing the pull shots. Is that a conscious decision by him to attack short balls?
If you see in the last two years, whenever you read any news about Shreyas, the short ball topic always used to come up. It was important to shut that outside noise and make him believe that he can handle the short deliveries.
It was not only about belief but constantly working on the issue and making him successful against the short balls.
It was not only a mental thing but it was also about working on the cricketing skill part -- like what should be his head position, his grip, his body balance, what should be the impact point and the follow through after hitting the ball.
So there are so many aspects to become a master of the pull shot and that is what we worked on.
Where was he going wrong earlier with the pull shot? Was he unable to execute it because he was not getting into the right position?
Absolutely, position is a key word. We had to figure out what position suits him, his toe position, his shoulder position and also his eye position, so we worked on those details. As a high performance coach, I work on those one percent factor.
Shreyas is a class apart when it comes to playing against spin? I would say he is the best Indian batter against spin today.
Yes, he is exceptional against spin.
When any spinner flights above his eye level, he has the ability to hit it into the stands. That is the confidence he has when batting against spin.
We worked on another aspect on how to get the singles in the middle overs because he is so dominant and he is an instinct player.
But instinct is not everything because you have to play according to the situation and the need of the team.
That is why as a coach I was delighted that he played to the needs of the team because whenever the team needed partnerships he was able to do that in the Champions Trophy.
I will say in terms of strike rate his performance shows, because he has a strike rate of more than 100 percent against spin. He is definitely among the best players of spin. That is the role he has got to play for India in ODIs.
The pitches in Dubai were not easy for scoring runs and that is where Shreyas showed excellent temperament.
How crucial was it for him to play domestic cricket where he won a few trophies with the Mumbai team.
Did that help him get his form and confidence back after tough phase earlier in the year?
Playing domestic cricket was very important for Shreyas. What happens is that when you work hard in the practice sessions and execute your game plan in a match situation that gives you confidence. That is what he did in domestic matches, he was able to work on his batting and he started believing in himself.
As a captain, Mumbai won the Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, he played some crucial knocks, he scored a century also in a T20 match, so domestic cricket really helped me.
Can you give details of your role as his personal coach? Is it more technical than mental?
My job is to give him confidence and nothing else.
It is more mental, because once you manage to solve your technical doubts or problems, you become mentally strong too. It raises your confidence too.
Talking about the mental aspect, Shreyas is the kind of player who likes a challenge, tough situations, playing against the top teams.
I have seen his journey from a young boy to where he is now today. He made his Ranji Trophy debut when I was the coach, I witnessed his first century in first class cricket, his first IPL knock, so it has been a journey for him.
Those initial years were very important for his career.
Shreyas said recently you were one of the people who helped him in his tough times. How strong is your bonding with him?
After every match of the Champions Trophy, I used to message him. There were so many discussions we used to have, I can't share them.
Shreyas is kind of a guy who likes to set goals for himself. His first goal was to play for India again because he had a tough phase where he unfortunately lost his BCCI central contracts also, that was the time I was with him to make sure he stays in a good frame of mind.
I told him to respect the game and work hard without bothering about the results.
That was the phase when nobody was with him. That gives me also satisfaction to help him in that stage of his life and take his game to the next level.
I also feel equivalent joy like everyone else when Shreyas does well and India wins but our joy is different. We have to stay behind the scenes without showing off what work we have done and the performances of the player will speak for themselves. It feels nice when a player appreciates your hard work.
A new IPL team for Shreyas Iyer this season. You have worked with Ricky Ponting and Shreyas at Delhi Capitals. How beneficial will it be for Shreyas to work under a legend like him?
Ricky and Shreyas have a very good chemistry. When Delhi Capitals reached the IPL final (in 2020), Ricky was the coach and Shreyas was the captain.
Ricky also backed him when Delhi Capitals first made him the captain, so he knows him inside out, his mindset, and how to work with him.
I am sure their chemistry will be good and it will work for Punjab Kings in the IPL.
Having made such a confident comeback to the ODI team, will this pave the way for Shreyas' comeback in the Test team?
The goals for him are -- to become IPL captain again which he has achieved, to seal his place in the Indian team at No. 4 which also he has done.
Regarding the Test team it will depend on how his body will cope because he is playing so much of cricket.
Once his body is in the best shape to withstand the rigours of five-day cricket, Test cricket will be high on his agenda.
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