Shreyas Iyer Surprise Visit To Hometown Creates Frenzy

Originally posted on Cricfit | By Hritik Gupta | Last updated Feb 7, 2026 10:08 AM ET

The sudden arrival of Shreyas Iyer in his hometown created an electric atmosphere, which spread through the narrow streets like wildfire. The moment his car turned into the familiar lane, children abandoned their cricket matches, shopkeepers rushed out, leaving their counters unattended, and elderly residents emerged from their afternoon siestas.

The neighborhood erupted in spontaneous celebration, with people clustering around him, their faces beaming with pride and affection. The people of this community saw their own Shreyas return home, as he had done so many times when he played gully cricket on these streets.

Shreyas Iyer won’t be playing in the T20 World Cup 2026:

THE AURA OF SARPANCH SAAB

Shreyas Iyer suddenly reached his hometown, and the moment he stepped into the street, the entire neighborhood went crazy with happiness pic.twitter.com/R5qEWes66z

— Jara (@JARA_Memer) February 5, 2026

Rohit Sharma won’t be playing in the T20 World Cup this time around, and he’s the first to admit it’ll be weird. For the first time in his career, India’s former captain will be watching the tournament from home instead of leading the charge on the field. He and Virat Kohli have moved on from T20s and Tests, sticking to ODI cricket now. India kicks off their title defense against the USA today in Mumbai, and Rohit’s absence from that squad marks the end of an era.

Looking back on his captaincy years, Rohit opened up about the tough calls he had to make. One decision that stuck with him was leaving Shreyas Iyer out of the Asia Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. “We felt we needed someone who could give us a little more with the ball. That’s why we went with Deepak Hooda, who was in good form at the time. Shreyas would have felt bad, Deepak would have been happy—that’s how it works,” Rohit explained.

He made sure Iyer understood why the decision was made. Rohit and then head coach Rahul Dravid personally called Shreyas to walk him through their thinking. It wasn’t easy, but that’s what leadership demanded.

His reflections give us a genuine look at what goes on behind the scenes—the sacrifices, the difficult conversations, and what it takes to transition out of the game at the top level.

This article first appeared on Cricfit and was syndicated with permission.

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