Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer is gaining new admirers by the day and his latest fan is none other than Rohit Sharma.
Rohit had never seen Iyer's heroics for Mumbai until this week.
But after being left out of the Indian playing XI for the Mohali Test against South Africa, Rohit was released from the squad to play a Ranji Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh.
Rohit and Iyer spent some time in the middle together, adding 98 runs for the third wicket, and the former was impressed by what he saw.
Both batsmen smashed centuries but Iyer was more belligerent than his illustrious teammate.
The 20-year-old, who hit 137 in just 110 balls, is in the midst of a purple patch.
Iyer is currently the highest scorer in the Ranji Trophy this season with 633 runs in 5 matches at an average of 90.42 and an extraordinary strike rate of 103.60.
Rohit paid Iyer the ultimate compliment by comparing him to the legendary Virender Sehwag.
"I had heard from people in our (Mumbai) dressing room that he's been in good nick. I'm glad with the way he is batting. I was enjoying it from the other end. He reminded me of Sehwag a little bit, because that's how he used to bat. He batted pretty well. Whatever he's been doing of late, it's pretty good to see that," Rohit told the Times of India.
Rohit went on to say that some of the shots Iyer played against quality bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar were amazing. "An attacking batsman is always important for any side in any format. It takes the momentum away from the opposition. When someone bats like he did today, it took the game away from them (UP). So, it makes a huge difference to have someone like him in the team who goes after the bowling right from ball one. The kind of shots he played today was amazing. The one (four) over covers off Bhuvi, those are the shots you dream about playing," he said.
The only batsman to hit two double centuries in ODIs added that he did not feel the need to offer Iyer any advice. "I suppose it wasn't needed! The way he was going, it was absolutely perfect! There was nothing wrong. He likes to attack, to take on the bowlers, which is good. India needs a player like that. I'm sure that in the coming years, we'll see him playing for the country."
Iyer is now playing for Sehwag's old IPL team, Delhi Daredevils, having been purchased in the auction this year for a whopping Rs 2.6 crores. He showed his prowess in the shortest format of the game, striking four fifties in his 14 games for the Daredevils.
The way Iyer is batting, it would be no surprise if he's selected in the Indian squad for the World T20 to be played in India early next year.
