Shreyas Iyer is pleased with the way he has prepared for the upcoming series against England and says he was hoping to play on turning tracks in the ongoing Ranji Trophy game. The Indian board had offered Iyer the option to play either India A or Ranji Trophy, to gain some match fitness before the India vs England five Test match series kicks off at home.

“It wasn’t a turning track, to be honest. I’m assuming that we will be getting turning wickets against England. But other than that it was just for my match fitness, to stay on the field as long as possible, that’s what mainly I was focusing on because especially after my injury it has been tough for me to stick on the outfield for long. So this was great practice for me,” Iyer said after the Mumbai vs Andhra Ranji Trophy game.

Iyer smashed 48 runs as Mumbai registered a thumping outright win over Andhra on the final day at the MCA-BKC ground.

He was later quizzed about how he is looking at the England series. Iyer said the motto was just to perform. “It’s important to take one match at a time, not think about a five-match Test series. The team is only for the first two games. The motto would be to perform in the first two games and then look forward to the rest of the games,” the Indian middle-order batsman replied.

Iyer had a great World Cup where he smashed two hundreds and he cemented his place in the 50 overs format. However, he was not picked for three T20I’s games of the India vs Afghanistan series. He was asked what he would have preferred to play.

The Mumbai batsman snapped back asking, “If I would have asked you if you were at my level playing with the same experience, what would you have preferred?”

Iyer’s name was not choosen for the home T20 series and instead selectors asked him to play India A or Ranji Trophy in order to prepare for the upcoming five Test match series against England.

He was asked again, how he reacted to not being in the T20I squad?

“See, right now I’m being in the present. I’ve finished the match which I was asked to play. I came and I executed, so I’m happy with what I’m doing. Something that is not in my control, I can’t be focusing on that. Coming here and winning the match was my focus and that’s what we did today,” he said.

It will be after a long time that India will be playing a long Test series at home, and Iyer quipped how he is visualising those “three days.” The Indian team will be playing on a turning track, he reckons, and like Test matches in South Africa finished in three days, one might witness Test matches getting over early here too.

“To be honest I just have to think about the three days (laughs). See the last two Test matches we played in South Africa finished in three-days. The third day is always important so I just have to focus on the three days and fourth and fifth will follow if it has to,” he pointed out.