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Shreyas Iyer enjoyed a much-needed outing with the bat, scoring a brilliant 82 off just 56 deliveries as India raked up an impressive total of 357/8 against Sri Lanka in the 2023 World Cup on Thursday. Thanks to a brilliant batting effort from the hosts in Mumbai, India secured a crushing 302-run win over Sri Lanka to not only retake their spot at the top of the table, but also book a spot in the semi-finals. India did have an early hiccup in their batting innings when Rohit Sharma was dismissed off the second delivery of the match. After a remarkable partnership between Virat Kohli (88), and Shubman Gill, who looked in great touch with a run-a-ball 92, India faced another brief setback, eventually weathered by Shreyas Iyer.
The Indian batter seized the opportunity to regain his form, particularly against a relatively mediocre bowling attack on a batting-friendly pitch. His aggressive innings, featuring six sixes and three fours, played a crucial part in India’s total. This performance bid well for Iyer, as India now prepare to face South Africa at Eden Gardens, where conditions are expected to be more favourable to bowlers.
Despite facing heavy criticism over his aggressive approach and apparent shortcomings against the short-pitched balls, Shreyas had a positive mindset and ensured India scored runs at a strong pace following the quick dismissals. Former England captain Nasser Hussain was mightily impressed by Iyer; he insisted that batters often tend to play for their places after a string of low scores.
“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, 40 off 40 balls. He didn’t. He was a finisher, he smashed it everywhere, he played for the team. He gets into better positions when he is attacking. I think he has got a very attacking mindset,” Hussain said during the mid-match show on Star Sports.
‘There were question marks because he had thrown away starts’: Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar, meanwhile, also lauded Iyer, insisting that the batter’s place was under threat after a series of low scores, but that didn’t bog him down.
“(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,” said Gavaskar.
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