2nd ODI: Shreyas Iyer impresses with breezy knock

MOHALI: The No. 4 spot in the Indian ODI batting line-up has been like musical chairs for the last 2-3 years. A number of players have been tried, but no one has nailed it for sure. Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul and MS Dhoni himself have all donned the role. Now, Shreyas Iyer, who scored a swashbuckling 88 (off 70 balls) against Sri Lanka here on Wednesday, has thrown his hat in the ring.

Iyer’s innings had power-hitting, deft touch play as well as quick singles and doubles – aspects that make him a contender for the spot. Skipper Rohit Sharma was all praise for Iyer. “It was a well-paced innings by Shreyas. He showed maturity beyond his years. The innings showed why he has been touted so highly in domestic circles. Today, he proved that on the field. I was particularly impressed with the way he hit those boundaries. It was not all bang-bang; rather he showed skills in scoring those. It didn’t look like he was playing just his second ODI,” said Sharma “I am sure if he continues in the same vein, he can make a place for himself in the Indian team. I hope he continues to go on and score a century next time around,” the Indian captain added.

Iyer’s innings was easy on the eyes, his strokeplay was assured and he acquitted himself well to the situation. The Dharamsala failure didn’t deter him as he went for his shots, baring his attacking instincts.

“I was batting well in the nets and took that confidence into the game. I believe in myself and my instincts,” Iyer said. “That (failure in the Dharamsala ODI) didn’t cross my mind at all. It was a new game and I batted with a blank mind, without any baggage. I trusted my technique and as I grew in confidence I went for my shots,” he added.

The challenge for Iyer would be consistency at this level. But his dashing innings in Mohali would have given the team management lots of happiness and hope.