Former Indian head coach Anil Kumble hailed star Indian middle order batter Shreyas Iyer for his impressive century against the Netherlands on Sunday. The middle-order batsman was back to his excellent self in ODI cricket, as he skillfully built his innings and scored his first World Cup century in Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
Shreyas Iyer batted brilliantly against the Netherlands, to score an unbeaten 128 runs off of just 94 deliveries including ten fours and five sixes, to help India post a mammoth total of 410-4 at the end of 50 overs. Since the pitch was batting-friendly and the bowling attack was merely mediocre, the Indian batsmen seized the opportunity to regain much-needed form ahead of the Semifinals.
Speaking on Espncricinfo, Anil Kumble heaped praise on Shreyas Iyer for playing a match-winning knock under pressure, which shows his ability to play under pressure, and commended Iyer for coming back from an injury to come and perform for the team at a mega event like ODI World Cup.
“He has played some match-winning knocks under pressure even at the Test level. It goes to show his temperament and his ability to soak up pressure,” Anil Kumble said.
“Even before the match against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede, there were talks that if Shreyas does not score, what happens when Hardik (Pandya) comes back. But he got an 80 there and followed it up with a 70 and then a hundred. It shows that he is mentally strong as it is not easy to come back from a long layoff straight into the World Cup,” Anil Kumble added.
Shreyas Iyer put together a 208-run stand with KL Rahul, who hit the quickest century for India in the history of the major event. After hitting half-centuries against Sri Lanka and South Africa, Iyer made a century against the Dutch.
Shreyas Iyer has been the mainstay of the Indian batting lineup in One-Day International cricket since the start of 2022. Once again, the Mumbai middle-order batsman has proven his worth in the 50-over format of the game and has scored a lot of runs at a high strike rate. The 28-year-old would be keen to continue his fine form going forward into the knockout stage of the tournament.
