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India captain Shreyas Iyer credited his long-time mentor Abhishek Nayar for helping him make the changes needed to produce a match-winning knock against the West Indies.
Iyer smashed his maiden T20I century in the opening game of the five-match series on Tuesday, scoring an unbeaten 102 off just 43 balls. His innings included 10 fours and six sixes as India chased down 172 in only 14.4 overs at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium. The win gave India a 1-0 lead in the series.
Iyer Reveals Key Conversation With Nayar
Iyer had been looking for a big score for some time. Since taking over as India’s T20I captain in June, he had crossed the 50-run mark only twice before Tuesday’s game.
Speaking in a video released by the BCCI, Iyer revealed that a recent conversation with Nayar helped him ahead of the West Indies match.
“I had a brief interaction with Abhishek Nayar in that period where we were talking about cricket. I think that conversation with him helped me a lot in today’s performance,” Iyer said.
Nayar has worked closely with Iyer for several years, including during his time in Mumbai domestic cricket, at the Kolkata Knight Riders and with the Indian team. He has also helped the batter work on different technical aspects of his game.
Iyer Explains What Worked Against West Indies
Iyer said he focused on being ready before every delivery and tried to build his rhythm early in the innings.
“The key that I observed in my batting today was setting myself before the delivery of the ball, and that worked perfectly,” he said.
“So creating that momentum and rhythm was essential at the start of the innings, and it worked out pretty well,” he added.
The approach paid off as Iyer took the attack to the West Indies bowlers and finished the game unbeaten.
‘Leave The Excuses Aside’
The century came after Iyer had returned from Japan and had to quickly adjust to the demands of international cricket.
Reflecting on the challenge, the India skipper said playing at the highest level means being ready to deal with difficult situations.
“I’m very happy; it’s a great start. And especially coming after Japan, forming a solid XI here. It was kind of challenging, but I must say that that’s what we look for when we are playing at this level,” Iyer said.
“We love challenges, and we want to make sure that we are at the top of our game and leave the excuses aside,” he added.
Iyer Enters Record Books
Iyer’s unbeaten 102 became the fastest century by an Indian against the West Indies in T20I cricket.
He also became only the third Indian captain to score a T20I century, joining Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav on the list.
His performance also had an immediate impact on the latest ICC T20I rankings. Iyer climbed 18 places to reach a career-best seventh position among batters.
India Eye Series Victory
With India leading 1-0, Iyer has already set his sights on finishing the series on a winning note.
“I would be extremely happy if we win the series. Obviously we started on a great note, and if we finish with a victory going forward in the next four games, that is what our main goal and target is at the moment,” he said.
