Shreyas Iyer reveals he 'wasn't supposed to play' 1st ODI: 'Funny story, I was watching a movie...'

Shreyas Iyer in action during India vs England ODI in Nagpur (BCCI Photo)

India's preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 started on a positive note as Rohit Sharma and Co. defeated England by four wickets in the first of three ODI series in Nagpur on Thursday. India dished an all-round show with Shubman Gill leading the show with the bat and Ravindra Jadeja troubling England batters with his clinical display.

However, there were few other contributions, one out of which was Shreyas Iyer's 36-ball 59, an innings laced with nine 4s and two 6s. Iyer's eased the pressure on the hosts after losing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma early in the 249-chase. Not only did he accumulated the runs briskly but stitched a match defining 94-run stand for the third wicket with Gill. The efforts by Gill and Iyer saw India come out from a precarious 19/2 to 113/3.

India vs England 1st ODI Top Highlights: Rohit Sharma's miseries continue, Shubman Gill stands tall

Following the encounter, the middle-order batter while interacting with Kevin Pietersen and Parthiv Patel on Star Sports said he was originally not part of the playing XI and it was only after Virat Kohli developed soreness on his knees he was included. "I wasn't supposed to play the first game. As we all know, Virat unfortunately got injured and then I got the opportunity. But I had kept myself prepared. I knew that, you know, at any point in time, I could get a chance to play. And the same thing happened to me last year during the Asia Cup. I got injured, and someone else came, and he scored a century," he said.

Pietersen then quizzed Iyer about the change in mindset from not being part of the playing XI to scoring a super half-century, to which the middle-order batter replied: "It's actually a funny story. I was watching a movie last night. I thought that I could extend my nighttime. Then I got a call from the skipper saying that I may play because Virat has got a swollen knee, and I hurried back to my room and went off to sleep straight. So we didn't know that."