Shreyas Iyer was, 16, when his father advised him to seek counselling from a sports psychologist and the rest as they say is history.
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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had their task cut out in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Monday while chasing the highest target of the season — 218 runs — at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai where every shot has value for money.
But barring Aaron Finch (58) and Shreyas Iyer (85), none of the other KKR batters managed to withstand the pressure and bowling efficiency shown by RR, in the uphill chase with Umesh Yadav chipping in 21 runs off nine deliveries being an exception.
Finch and Iyer were involved a 107-run stand for the second wicket and once the Australia limited-overs captain departed, the KKR skipper held the fort and thrived under pressure to hit seven boundaries and four hits over the fence in his 51-ball stay, but failed to help his side cross the line after a valiant effort.
But come to think about it, in hindsight, Iyer might not have become the player that we are witnessing today, if his father didn’t stand by him during his rough phase at the age of 16.
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Today, the aspect of mental health has significantly gained prominence with many well-known personalities not afraid to talk about it openly.
But it was not the same a few years back even though Iyers’ father, Santosh Iyer, took due care of his teenage-son and advised him to seek counselling.
The journey traces back to the time when Iyer used to play age-group cricket for Mumbai U-16 and one of his coaches attributed it to lack of focus which made his father worried as he knew the talent his son possessed.
“When Shreyas was 4 years old, we played cricket in the house with a plastic ball. Even then, he was middling the ball in a manner that convinced me that the boy had real talent. So, we did everything in our power to make sure he can fulfill his potential,” Santosh said in an interview to Cricbuzz.
“When one coach told me that your son has talent, but he has lost focus along the way, I got a little worried. I thought he had either fallen in love or got mixed up in the wrong crowd (keeping bad company)!”
The instinct of his father helped him return back on track and he has never looked back ever since and continues to build on a fine career.
“Eventually, I was told that there was nothing to worry about. Like most other cricketers, Shreyas was simply going through a rough patch. And sure enough, he soon recovered his form and has never looked back.”
