IND vs ENG: Who said what as Shreyas Iyer 2.0 strikes against short ball
Shreyas Iyer scored his second-fastest ODI fifty to set the base for India’s 4-wicket win against England on Thursday, February 6. Iyer’s 59 off 36 balls came at a time when India were two wickets down inside the first 6 overs of their chase. The right-hander, who currently does not find a place in the Indian Test and T20I teams, proved to be the point of difference in the difficult opening overs and helped India counter-attack their way back into the game.
While vice-captain Shubman Gill guided the chase for the better part of India’s innings, scoring a gritty 87 off 96 balls, it was Iyer’s innings that caught the eye of experts. Kevin Pietersen and Parthiv Patel lauded the middle-order batter for his improved prowess against short balls.
India vs England, 1st ODI in Nagpur: Highlights
Pietersen, Parthiv Impressed With Iyer
Iyer was in a menacing mood on Thursday, cutting and pulling Jofra Archer for sixes early in his innings. Traditionally, pace and bounce have been Iyer’s frailties, but in Nagpur, Iyer looked a different man entirely.
“He batted beautifully, he really did. Jofra Archer came out with the short ball, and very fast, and it was as if batting was so easy for Shreyas Iyer this evening. The faster it came, the quicker it went. What was pretty cool about his batting was that he found the gaps,” Kevin Pietersen said after the match.
Former India player Parthiv Patel pointed out a slight change in technique. He said that Iyer earlier used to move away from the line of the ball, but on Thursday, he had the courage to move in and take on the fierce pace of the English bowlers.
“It looked like Shreyas Iyer had a plan in his mind. The bowlers were bowling 140+, and he managed to use their pace. Yes, he was hanging back, but his weight was always on the front foot, that’s how he played square of the wicket so well. I thought that the clarity of mind was there against very fast bowling. Shreyas got inside the line to the short ball, whereas earlier he used to open up and target point, that was the slight technical change that he made,” Parthiv Patel said.
Shubman’s innings, combined with fifties from Axar Patel and Iyer, helped India chase down the 249-run target in 38.4 overs. Former England batter Kevin Pietersen was not happy with the result and slammed the side for not showing enough ingenuity with bat and ball.
“England neither applied themselves with the bat, nor did they target the stumps enough with the ball. In India, if you do not target the stumps with the ball, how will you take wickets?” Pietersen said.
Captain’s Reactions
Buttler’s analysis of the game was similar, as the England captain blamed the team’s batting failure for the loss.
“Disappointed not to win the game. We got off to a fantastic start in the powerplay, but we lost wickets. Another 40-50 runs could have been handy with the way the wicket played towards the end. The guys started really well. The game was in the balance at that point, but credit to Shreyas Iyer for building that partnership. We have to play better for longer,” Buttler said.
India captain Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, was simply happy that the team had struck back after falling behind with bat and ball in both innings.
“Pretty happy. We all knew we were playing this format after a long time. I thought right from the beginning we played as per expectations. They did start well, but the way we came back was superb. We wanted a leftie in the middle. It is as simple as that. We know they will spin it back into the left-handers, so we wanted a leftie. Gill and Axar batted brilliantly out in the middle. Nothing specific. Overall, as a team, I just want us to keep doing the right things as much as possible,” Rohit said.
India will next play England in Cuttack. India vice-captain confirmed that the team would have at least one change in the line-up. Shubman said that Virat Kohli, who was out of the line-up in the 1st ODI due to a knee injury, would return. It will be interesting to see who sits out as India continue their preparation for the Champions Trophy.
Tune In
