Cricketer-turned-commentator Nasser Hussain and Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on underfire Indian batter Shreyas Iyer for fearless batting against Sri Lanka in front of his home crowd. The Mumbai-born batter’s brilliant batting silenced the doubters as he helped India reach a massive total by scoring 86 runs off 56 balls.
Shreyas Iyer, who had a much-needed outing at the bat on Thursday, scored an incredible 82 runs off of just 56 deliveries including three fours and six sixes to help India upset Sri Lanka by a biggest margin. Since the pitch was batting-friendly and the bowling attack was merely mediocre, the Indian batsmen seized the opportunity to regain much-needed form.
Speaking on Star Sports, Nasser Hussain hailed Shreyas Iyer for his selfless innings against Sri Lanka despite struggling to find form in the previous game and feels that Iyer’s aggressive approach helped the side post an above-par total in Mumbai.
“What I liked about the innings was that, sometimes, people start talking that you might be the one who gets left out. And let’s be honest, some people have been saying that since he got out against England.
“(And then) you play for yourself, you get a score, of 40 off 40 balls. He didn’t. He was a finisher, he smashed it everywhere, and he played for the team. He gets into better positions when he is attacking. I think he has got a very attacking mindset,” Nasser Hussain said.
Shreyas Iyer maintained an optimistic attitude and made sure that India scored runs quickly after the swift dismissals of Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill, even though he was heavily criticized for his aggressive style and obvious weaknesses against the short-pitched balls, he tried to be positive which paid off for the team against Sri Lanka.
It Shows That Shreyas Iyer Was Coming To Terms With It – Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar also commended Iyer, saying that the batter’s place was in doubt but that it didn’t deter him despite a string of subpar performances. There were talks around his place in the team when Hardik Pandya returned to the Indian team but the No.4 batter has made his case strong to be part of the playing 11 going into the remaining games of the mega event.
“(There was a) big question mark because he had opportunities that he threw away with aerial shots. That is the reason why it was important for him to score runs. Because once Hardik Pandya comes back, the question would’ve been between him and Suryakumar Yadav. KL Rahul would’ve moved up to 4, Suryakumar up to 5, and Hardik at 6”.
“But more important than retaining his place, it was to show that he could handle the short ball. Yes, the Sri Lankan bowlers weren’t express, but he was playing the short ball well. It shows that he was coming to terms with it. It’s always the odd deliveries where you struggle, but he made an effort there,” Gavaskar said.
With seven victories under their belt, the Men in Blue currently sits at the top of the points table and own the second-best net run rate in the competition and the Indian players are hitting their straps for the most part going into the business end of the mega event.
