Shreyas Iyer has said Mumbai stand-in skipper Prithvi Shaw doesn’t need to change his approach and he must play his natural game in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final on Sunday.
Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh will lock horns in the summit clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Shreyas Iyer had captained Mumbai in few games last month before he joined the national set-up for the England series.
Shreyas Iyer: Prithvi Shaw And Mumbai Doesn’t Need To Change Anything
“In the Vijay Hazare, I played two good knocks so obviously confidence was high and I carried forward that momentum. I would just say to Mumbai that they don’t have to change and they should play the way they are playing in the tournament,” said Shreyas Iyer at the end of the first T20I between India and England.
“Obviously, the way Prithvi Shaw is performing he is in good form so he doesn’t need to change anything. I have talked to him yesterday and told him that pitch will be different and you must not listen to anybody and back your instincts,” Shreyas Iyer added.
England secured a comfortable eight-wicket win over India in the first T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday 12th March. England delivered an all-around performance in the match and completely outplayed their opponents.
Prithvi Shaw was dropped from India’s Test XI after failure, making 0 and 4 in the first Test of their tour of Australia, getting dismissed in a similar manner in both innings, bowled through the gap between bat and pad.
Mumbai, who have won the tournament thrice, the last one in 2018-19, will be looking to clinch their fourth title and end the season on a high note. Uttar Pradesh, on the other hand, will be playing their third final, would also be eyeing a second title after having shared the Trophy with Tamil Nadu in 2004-05 after that game ended in a tie.
Shreyas Iyer Wasn’t Under Pressure But Credits England For Bowling Well
India had got off to the worst possible start with three wickets down in six overs but Shreyas Iyer rescued the hosts and smashed a fifty to steer the side to 124/7. Shreyas Iyer scored a 48-ball 67 which helped India post a 124-run total after witnessing a horrible top-order collapse.
England got off to a promising start scoring 50 runs in the powerplay overs as opposed to India’s 22. England lost 2 quick wickets of Jason Roy (49) and Jos Buttler (28) but Jonny Bairstow (26*) and Dawid Malan (24*) ensured England’s victory without further hiccups.
“I am in no sort of pressure, to be honest. I am playing freely, happily and I am enjoying my game,” said Shreyas while replying to a query from ANI.
“I have been in these types of situations many times in IPL. I have battled many times in these situations, so I tend to bat till the end play full 20 overs. And I know that in the middle overs batsmen do get one or two odd boundaries which shifts the momentum. But England bowled really well and they stuck to their plan,” he added.
India and England will now lock horns in the second T20I of the five-match series on Sunday.
Prithvi Shaw has amassed as much as 754 runs for Mumbai in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy which included four centuries in seven innings at a staggering average of 188.50.
His runs, which have come at an astonishing strike rate of 134.88, include innings of 227*, 185*, and 165. On the way, Prithvi Shaw set a new record for most runs in a single Vijay Hazare season, passing Mayank Agarwal’s mark of 723 runs in 2017-18.