- By Manik Sharma
- Fri, 03 Nov 2023 09:53 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Shreyas Iyer owned the number four position in the side after smashing 82 runs against Sri Lanka, helping India to reach a massive total of 357 in the first Innings in Mumbai. India secured the semi final berth in the Cricket World Cup 2023 after a 302-run win in the one-sided contest.
Iyer returned to the playing eleven during the first match of the three-match ODI series against Australia in September after missing the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023 due to back spasms. He displayed his masterclass by hitting six sixes in the innings, including a massive 106-metre strike, emphasising why he is an indispensable player in the team.
When questioned about his weakness against short balls, Iyer adopted a counter-offensive stance. He dismissed the notion that he struggles against short deliveries and expressed his irritation with the term 'problem.'
"When you say it's a problem for me, what do you mean? Troubled me? Have you seen how many pull shots I've scored? In my mind, I have no problems with short balls," PTI quoted Iyer as saying.
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According to Iyer, all batsmen, regardless of their strengths, are susceptible to getting out on various types of deliveries. He acknowledged that external perceptions can affect a player's mindset and that people tend to magnify perceived weaknesses.
"We, as players, are bound to get out on any sort of deliveries. You guys have created that environment outside that 'he can't play a short ball'. And I feel that people are picking that up every now and then and it plays on your mind regularly and you keep working on that," Iyer added.
Iyer emphasised his familiarity with tackling short balls, having played a majority of his domestic cricket at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where the bounce is consistent.
"Coming from Mumbai, especially from Wankhede, where the bounce is pretty much even and it bounces way more than any other pitches. So, I've played (the) majority of my games here, so I know how to tackle it,” Iyer said.
Regarding India's exceptional bowling performance against Sri Lanka, where the opposition was bowled out for a mere 55 runs, Iyer quipped that the batters were fortunate not to face those bowlers in a match situation.
"Yeah, looking at today's bowling and the previous game, definitely, we are lucky not to play against them. But at the same time, we batted them in the nets. So, it gives us an added motivation to come and play any sort of bowlers,” Iyer said.
Iyer acknowledged that he had missed out on converting starts into substantial scores in the earlier matches of the World Cup.
"I just told myself that if it's there in my area, I'm just going to go take the bull by the horns. And yeah, fortunately, it worked for me and I hope that it keeps on working for me in the future as well, because the team is in a great space at the moment,” Iyer said.
India will next play against South Africa in a mouth-watering clash against South Africa at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
