Shreyas Iyer Birthday: Did You Know Why Indian Batter Swapped His Jersey Number from 41 to 96?

One of the finest middle-order batters of the current Indian cricket team, Shreyas Iyer celebrates his 29th birthday today. Known for technically sound batting and an astute timing, Iyer has quite ably cemented his spot in the Indian playing XI. Iyer was part of Team India’s squad in the recently concluded World Cup played on home soil. With 2331 runs under his belt, Iyer enjoys an impressive average of 49.59 in ODIs. In Tests, Iyer has a formidable average of 44.40. In the shortest format of the game, Iyer has represented India 51 times and scored 1104 runs at a strike rate of 136.12.

As Shreyas Iyer celebrates his birthday today, we take a look at the reason behind his change in jersey number and top-five Innings.

WHY DID HE CHANGED HIS JERSEY NUMBER FROM 41 TO 96?

During his initial days, Shreyas Iyer used to wear jersey number 41. Though, a change in his jersey number happened recently. As per media reports, the change took place after he visited English football club Chelsea’s home ground Stamford Bridge earlier this year.

During that trip, Iyer even interacted with Chelsea footballer Ben Chilwell. The English international presented a Chelsea jersey to Iyer with the Indian cricketer’s name imprinted on the back.

The jersey gifted by Chilwell had 96 written on its back and many believe this gesture prompted Iyer to make a change to his Team India shirt.

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Shreyas Iyer’s Top-5 Knocks

1. 128 not out vs NetherlandsShreyas Iyer registered his highest ODI knock during a World Cup 2023 match against the Netherlands. Playing against the Dutch cricket team at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Iyer pulled off a fine knock of an unbeaten 128 off 94 balls. Iye’s power-packed innings comprised 10 boundaries and five sixes. Team India had won the contest by 160 runs.
2. 105 vs New ZealandIn Tests, Shreyas Iyer scored his highest knock against New Zealand in November 2021. In the first innings of the Kanpur Test, Iyer came up with a fantastic innings of 105 off 171 balls. Iyer’s composed batting guided India to a solid total of 345 in the first innings.
3. 74 not out vs Sri LankaShreyas Iyer achieved his highest T20I score against Sri Lanka in February last year. Chasing a big total of 184, Iyer scored 74 runs (not out) off 44 balls. Iyer’s blistering knock helped India in scoring the winning runs with 17 balls to spare.
4. 96 vs Gujarat LionsShreyas Iyer’s spectacular batting, during the run chase, was once again on full display during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in May 2017. Representing Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Iyer produced a commendable knock of 96 off 57 balls against Gujarat Lions. Iyer missed out on his maiden IPL century by three runs but his terrific innings was enough to secure a win for the Delhi-based franchise
5. 202 not out vs AustraliaIn first-class cricket, Shreyas Iyer clinched his highest score while representing India A against Australia back in February 2017. In the first innings of the fixture, Iyer scored 202 (not out) runs having faced 210 deliveries.