Shreyas Iyer has been one of the finest batsmen India has ever produced. The 29 year old finally broke his shackles as he emerged as the go-to batsman in the Indian middle order. He also had a fantastic ODI World Cup as the Men In Blue failed to lift that coveted trophy once again.

3 things you need to do

• India to play South Africa in a two-match Test series
• Shreyas Iyer has been India's one of the best batsmen
• He accumulated more than 500 runs in the World Cup

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Shreyas Iyer has been India's mainstay in batting

Since making his debut in 2017, it took a bit of time for him to establish his place in the Indian middle order. Having scored 530 runs in 11 matches in the World Cup, he already staked a claim to be one of India's main batsmen in the coming days. But it has not been like this always as the player did undergo a dip in form back in 2010-11.

Shreyas Iyer's father narrated an interesting story about his son

The youngster was trying to get a foothold in Mumbai at the junior level. One of the coaches informed Santosh Iyer that his son had lost focus. His father didn't panic and took him to a sports psychologist who assured him that his son was going through a bad patch of form only.

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“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 has either fallen in love or got mixed up in the wrong crowd.”

“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 never looked back again.”

Iyer is likely to be selected in the first XI when India take on South Africa in the first of the two Tests on Boxing Day at SuperSport Park.