Mumbai: Shreyas Iyer’s 82 runs with six sixes and three boundaries was a brilliant cameo amid a burst of performances by batters and bowlers at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, but ask him about his perceived vulnerability to the short ball and the hit back is instant, just like his bat, which has a commitment to hit out even at the risk of walking.
“Troubled me (short ball)? Have you seen how many pull shots I've scored? Especially the ones, which have gone for four? If you're trying to hit a ball, you're bound to get out anyway. Irrespective it's a short ball. If I get bowled two or three times, you say ‘he can't play an in-swinging ball. He can't play a cut if a ball is seaming'. 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," Iyer stated in a post-match presentation.
“I have played a majority of my games in Wankhede where it bounces way more than any other pitch. I know how to tackle it. It's just that when I go to hit some shots, you are bound to get out too. A majority of the time it hasn't worked for me, maybe that's the reason you think it's a problem for me. But in my mind, I know there's no problem,” he said at his post-match Press conference.
He also said that the team got lucky to be put into bat first by the Lankans who won the toss and elected to field. “We were thinking they would be batting first, especially when you come to Wankhede and play on such a brilliant track. And even in the huddle, when we decided that if we win the toss, we would be choosing to bat,” he said.
Attacking batsmen at the crease, Iyer put up a strident defence about his performances so far. “I have faith in myself, in my skills, and I'm experienced enough to play certain deliveries. I may get out again and again, but I don't mind, as long as I have faith in myself and my teammates support me.
That is a motivating factor for me. I don't pay attention to anything else,” he said. Iyer went through a difficult 4-5 to fight an injury after the Australia series and before he went to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup. “It was a difficult ride to come out of an injury, especially in terms of fielding. I wasn't able to move as I used to before. But the trainers and the physios worked pretty hard on me, especially in terms of recovering after the games, because 50 overs take a lot of toll on your body. I just keep ticking the boxes in terms of preparation and see to it that when I come to the game, I'm 100 per cent now,” he said.
Talking about the performance of the bowlers today and dressing room conversations as a batting group he said, “We are lucky not to be facing Bumrah, Shami and Siraj. But we bat them in the nets. So, it gives us an added motivation to come and play any sort of bowler,” he said. Iyer trained hard and long for the match against Sri Lanka. If he was seen tackling short ball throws at Lucknow, here he practiced for more than two hours polishing his big hits, be it the pull shot or the deliveries pitched up, something that he replicated here," he added.
“It was playing on my mind as I wasn't just able to capitalize on what I was getting to (earlier in the tournament). Today, I told myself that if it's there in my area, I'm just going to go take the bull by the horns. Fortunately, it worked for me and I hope that it keeps on working for me in the future as well,” he said. Team India, he said, is in a great space with all players are cherishing each other's performances. “That is very important when you come on to such a big stage,” he said.
