Shreyas Iyer tucks cold drink inside shirt, hands it to kids standing in scorching heat as brilliant gesture goes viral

While India’s Test team produced a sublime performance to register a clean-sweep Test series win against Bangladesh, Shreyas Iyer, currently out of the Test squad, was showcasing his talent in the prestigious Irani Cup. Iyer took the field for Mumbai against the Rest of India at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

At Stumps on Day 1, Mumbai posted 237/4, with Iyer playing a pivotal role by scoring a composed 57 off 84 balls. His half-century steadied the team after early setbacks, as he formed a crucial 102-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane.

In addition to his stellar outing, Iyer’s act off-the-field also won hearts.

As temperatures soared in Lucknow, a heartwarming video surfaced showing Iyer stepping away from his practice session to offer cold drinks to children of the labourers working in the Ekana campus. The incident reportedly took place on Monday while Iyer was practising alongside Prithvi Shaw.

According to Dainik Bhaskar, Iyer noticed children standing near the boundary ropes in the scorching heat. Without hesitation, the cricketer walked over to the drinks trolley, tucked a cold drink bottle into his shirt, and made his way toward the kids.

When asked by a reporter about his gesture, Iyer humbly responded, “You can see for yourself how hot it is,” acknowledging the plight of the children who were enduring the heat.

Irani Cup

Iyer’s timely half-century came when Mumbai were in a spot of bother, having lost three quick wickets early in the innings. Mukesh Kumar’s fiery spell had reduced the team to 37/3, but Iyer and Rahane countered with resilience.

Rahane, unbeaten on 86 (197), along with Sarfaraz Khan (54* off 88), resumed proceedings on Day 2. Sarfaraz was released from Indian squad for the batter to take part in the Irani Cup.

Iyer is currently the part of the Indian ODI setup; however, the side is not scheduled to play in any fifty-over match for the rest of the year. Team India will return to action with the T20I series against Bangladesh, which will be followed by a Test tour from New Zealand and another T20I series against South Africa. The side will then travel to Australia for a five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy.