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Shreyas Iyer recalls meeting Ross Taylor as a ball boy, shares IPL memories and discusses team mindset in iQOO India’s YouTube podcast.
Shreyas Iyer last played a T20I for India on December 3, 2023. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Star India batter Shreyas Iyer has said that when the fireworks went off during one of the matches featuring the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the initial seasons of the Indian Premier League, he was a ball boy and he rushed into the ground to shake hands with New Zealand star Ross Taylor.
On Sunday, September 7, iQOO India released a YouTube podcast featuring Iyer as the guest.
During the conversation, Iyer shared his admiration for Taylor and described how he first met him as a young ball boy.
“I really liked Ross Taylor. So, during the first game, when the fireworks went off, the particles from the fireworks fell all over the ground. We had to go and pick them up. I intentionally ran up to him so that I could say hi,” Iyer said.
“He shook my hand and then I went back while picking up the fireworks debris,” Iyer narrated.
The star Indian batter revealed that before he started playing in the Indian Premier League, the Mumbai Indians were his favourite franchise, as he hails from that state.
“Mumbai Indians, obviously, being from Mumbai, I used to support Mumbai. At the start of the IPL, in the first and second seasons, I was a ball boy. So when we played Under-14 for Mumbai, all the players who participated in the Mumbai Under-14 team were also ball boys,” Iyer said.
“That’s when I got to meet a lot of cricketers,” the star Indian batter added.
Iyer led the Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 final in his first season with the team.
In the same conversation, the star Indian batter was asked about the mindset of cricketers and how they cope when left out of the team.
“It is only frustrating when you know that you deserve to be in the team, in the playing XI. At that time, it’s frustrating. But at the same time, when you know that someone is performing and playing consistently for the team and bringing their best, you support them,” Iyer said.
“And eventually, the goal is for the team to win. When the team is winning, everyone is happy,” Iyer added.
September 07, 2025, 18:54 IST
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