Last Updated: November 12, 2023, 18:14 IST
Shreyas Iyer hit an unbeaten 128. (AP Photo)
With his efficiency within the final three matches, Shreyas Iyer has confirmed he is the best man for the quantity 4 spot and the middle-order ghosts of 2019 had been laid to relaxation.
How occasions change within the area of 4 years.
Heading into the 2019 ODI World Cup in England, a significant fear for India’s supporters was who would fill the quantity 4 slot and supply solidity between the top-order and the lower-order.
As it turned, the shortage of a secure quantity 4 got here again to hang-out the Men in Blue at the worst doable hour through the semifinals towards New Zealand.
Four years on, India haven’t had the identical headache and an enormous motive for that has been the type of Shreyas Iyer, particularly within the second half of the league stage of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Follow all of the motion from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 together with the World Cup schedule, World Cup 2023 outcomes, and ICC Cricket World Cup factors desk. Players are vying to high the World Cup 2023 Most Runs and World Cup 2023 Most Wickets charts.
All the speak main into the match towards Netherlands in Bengaluru on Sunday revolved round Virat Kohli and the potential of him attending to his fiftieth ODI ton in his adopted hometown. But when the talisman fell for 51, India nonetheless had greater than 20 overs nonetheless to bat.
It allowed Iyer time to settle in for a comparatively lengthy haul and settle in he did.
Combining pre-meditation with orthodoxy, the Mumbai right-hander ensured that India maintained their excessive scoring fee, the inspiration of which was laid by Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill on a heat afternoon at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The most telling function of Iyer’s efficiency was his acceleration. He received to his fifty off 48 and the following fifty runs got here in his 26 balls, with a single to mid-wicket mentioning his hundred as the capability crowd at the venue rose in applause.
One of the standout photographs from the knock was the slap over cowl off Paul van Meekeren’s bowling that went for a six. It was a shot of authority and one which indicated that Iyer was nicely and actually within the zone.
The innings was not nearly fours and sixes but in addition about Iyer rotating strike and protecting the scoreboard ticking alongside. While he had hit 10 fours and 5 sixes en path to the landmark, the opposite notable facet to the innings was it contained 49 singles and one double.
This facet of Iyer’s batting of having the ability to stability his innings with singles and bounds has ensured that he all the time remained forward of KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan within the pegging order, for the quantity 4 slot.
Ahead of Sunday’s fixture, head coach Rahul Dravid was requested about what made Iyer so good at the quantity 4 spot and the 51-year-old referred to his temperament and the way he has delivered for the aspect in robust conditions up to now.
“He brings temperament,” Dravid mentioned. “You just look at even some of his knocks under pressure, how he’s able to actually bring the best out of himself under those pressure situations. Even in the two years that I’ve been here, I mean, Bangladesh, you know that game, under extreme pressure, who’s the guy who stands up? Ash and Shreyas, guys like that who incredible temperament, incredible strength of mind, and I think that’s, that’s what has held him in really good stead.”
While the state of affairs was removed from being tense on Sunday, Iyer proved Dravid proper about having a sound temperament along with his means to recover from a tough time at the beginning of the match to attain two half-centuries towards Sri Lanka and South Africa after which 128 not out towards Netherlands.
With his efficiency within the final three matches, he additionally confirmed he’s India’s Mr. Reliable at quantity 4 and the middle-order ghosts of 2019 had been laid to relaxation.
Brief scores: India 411 for 4 in 50 overs (Iyer 128*, KL Rahul 102, Rohit 61; De Leede 2-82) vs Netherlands
