Team India gears up for their last group stage match against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, and a heartwarming gesture was witnessed at the ICC Academy between middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer and net bowler Jaskiran Singh.
Who Is Jaskiran Singh?
Jaskiran, who was one of the ICC-nominated net bowlers for the tournament, had already practiced bowling for teams such as Pakistan and Bangladesh in practice sessions. But he wasn’t given the chance to bowl to the Indian batter as Rohit Sharma’s team already had a sufficient number of off-spinners in their team setup. Though slightly disappointed, he still played his part by fielding for the team in their practice drills.
Shreyas Iyer’s Special Gift
In one such practice session, Jaskiran was standing at long-off when he was taken aback by a warm act of Iyer. The Indian batsman walked up to him with a smile and greeted him warmly, uttering, “Paaji, kya haal-chaal? Sab badiya?” according to PTI reports.
“Shreyas bhai came up to me and asked ‘what’s your shoe size’? I said 10, and then he said I’ve got something for you and he gave me these spikes. It really means a lot,” Jaskiran shared.
Jaskiran Waiting For An Opportunity To Bowl To Team India
What ensued made the experience even more special. Although Jaskiran never had the opportunity to bowl for the Indian team, he had been working closely with them in practice sessions. Seeing how dedicated he was, Iyer thought of surprising him with a generous gift, which transformed what had been a bit of a disappointing experience into a memorable one.
“I am a part of the ICC net bowling team for the Champions Trophy. Today was one such special moment of my life. Received these spikes from Shreyas Iyer,” he said.
“In this tournament, I’ve fielded for them (India) but was waiting for an opportunity to bowl to them. I’ve bowled to Pakistan and Bangladesh; that was a really good experience. And then this, coming from Shreyas Bhai means a lot.”
Iyer, has been a very important contributor for India in Champions Trophy so far. His match-winning half-century in the last match against Pakistan gave India its place in the semis and enhanced his status in the middle order. The off-field move did nothing to weaken his image as a team man on the field as well.
(With PTI Inputs)
