Shreyas Looked Unstoppable; A Strong Signal That He is Back To Best: Gavaskar
There had been questions on social media about Shreyas' batting form, and this hundred has silenced all of them, Gavaskar praised Iyer
Captain Shreyas Iyer announced his return to form in style, smashing his maiden T20I century as India cruised to an eight-wicket victory over West Indies while chasing 172 in the first T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Speaking on JioStar's Haier Cricket Live, Ishan Kishan reflected on his partnership with Iyer, Naman Dhir's performance with the ball and his comeback journey to the international side, while JioStar expert Sunil Gavaskar praised Iyer's innings and shared his views on the Sanju Samson-Vaibhav Sooryavanshi debate. Speaking on JioStar's ‘Haier Cricket Live’, Ishan Kishan reflected on his partnership with Captain Shreyas Iyer and why he was happy to play the second fiddle:
"As a batter, when I'm not looking in that great of a touch and the batter at the other end is looking in great form and is connecting the ball well, in this case Shreyas Iyer, then I don't mind playing second fiddle at all. He was scoring the bulk of the runs in our partnership and when he's batting beautifully, it's my job to let him punish the opposition bowlers. He did that job remarkably and, in the end, we executed the run chase successfully. The plan was simple. We had a target in mind, and we broke it down into small parts. Whenever the bowler bowled in my zone, I looked to score. On the other end, Shreyas was in full flow, so we just kept the scoreboard moving. There was no panic because we knew one good over would change the game. That is what happened and we got over the line. " *On Naman Dhir’s performance with the ball:
“I have seen Naman bowl during my Mumbai Indians days and at that time I would say he was more of a part-time bowler. But looking at how he was bowling in this match and the confidence he had, after getting hit for a six, on your debut, you tend to go more defensive. But Naman didn't do that and kept on giving that extra flight to the opposition batters, which helped him get a couple of wickets in his debut game. Him not going defensive and attacking the batters is something that makes you understand that this player has actually worked hard on his bowling, on his skill. It shows he has the mindset to take wickets and not just survive. If he keeps bowling like this, he will go a long way. "
On being dropped from the international team and how he worked his way back:
“When I was dropped from the international team, I understood the consequences of a few mistakes that I had made. So, I worked on my fitness and my batting. I stayed patient and focused on rectifying my mistakes by doing well in domestic cricket. I knew if I kept performing in domestic cricket, the opportunity would come and I earned the recall to the national squad because of my hard work. Once you come back to the side, you don't think about what's going to happen if I get dropped again. The most important thing is to enjoy cricket and just focus on doing the best I can to contribute to the success of the team. My job is to keep scoring runs and if I am able to do that, then the rest will be taken care of automatically."
Speaking on JioStar's ‘Haier Cricket Live’, JioStar expert Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Shreyas Iyer's 102-run knock:
"It was a sublime knock from Shreyas Iyer. He looked unstoppable, and no matter what lines and lengths the West Indian bowlers bowled, Iyer had an answer to everything. The shots he played were a treat to watch, especially the upper cut off Romario Shepherd, which showed that he meant business. Shreyas Iyer has had a bit of a torrid time with the bat since becoming the captain of this Indian T20I squad. In recent times, the wins have come, but his own form with the bat was a concern. So, it was important for him to play a big knock, and he delivered in this first T20I. Iyer took complete control of the run chase and continued to accelerate through the middle overs. He reached his fifty in just 28 balls and then shifted gears completely, going from 50 to 102 in the space of just 15 balls. There had been questions on social media about Shreyas' batting form, and this hundred has silenced all of them. This knock is a strong signal that Shreyas Iyer is back to his best."
On the Sanju Samson-Vaibhav Sooryavanshi debate:
"Sanju scored two half centuries against Afghanistan as an opener. Then he had a bad run of games at the Asian Games but he was batting at number three there, so I won't really blame him. Now, he's back opening the innings and got out after scoring 11 runs in this first T20I. But that is not enough for me to drop him from the team in favour of young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. You have to give a player a fair run, especially someone who has just come back into a role he is comfortable with. One low score does not change anything. Sanju has shown what he can do at the top of the order and he deserves a longer rope. Vaibhav is a special talent, and his time will come, but for now, Sanju is the right man to open in this series against West Indies. You cannot keep chopping and changing after every game. That only creates insecurity in the dressing room."