India’s Shreyas Iyer celebrates his half-century during a One Day International (ODI) cricket match of the ICC Champions Trophy between India and Pakistan, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, UAE on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
On a day when Virat Kohli hogged the limelight, Shreyas Iyer went about his job unassumingly, playing perfect foil to his senior partner.
The Mumbai batter was pleased with the way he went about his business.
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“Initially, I was struggling a bit to manoeuvre the ball through the gaps. I think Abrar (Ahmed) bowled brilliantly. It was important and crucial for me to play out that spell and, at the same time, rotate the strike,” said Shreyas.
“I took some time, and once I got my eye in, I thought the sweep and reverse-sweep would be a good option to put them on the backfoot. I think that worked pretty well,” revealed Shreyas.
As India extended its unbeaten run (six) over Pakistan in ODIs, Shreyas felt the margin of victory could have been even bigger.
“I think we could have won a bit earlier and been even more convincing given the way the pitch played. The ball was coming on pretty well when it was new. After that, it was difficult to score when it became old. Had we had played more aggressively, we could have finished it sooner,” he added.
The 30-year-old credited the Indian bowlers for restricting Pakistan to a modest total.
“They bowled tremendously, especially in the middle phase when the ball spun and there was help from the surface.
“The wicket was a bit slow like in the previous game we played here. It’s spinner-friendly and they have been bowling consistently over a period of time.
“I think the amalgamation of the three bowlers (Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav), who mixed it up quite well, and the experience they possess brings a lot of clarity,” said Shreyas.
Published – February 24, 2025 11:28 am IST