By Shreyas Iyer‘s own admission, the Indian batter was in a lonely space after a back injury cut short his season in the World Cup year. Soon after being added to India’s squad for the Asia Cup after a long injury layoff, Iyer failed to cement his place as the middle-order star batted just once in the continental tournament. While Iyer struggled with back spasms at the Asia Cup, his teammate KL Rahul capped off a sensational comeback by slamming a brilliant century against Pakistan.
In the meantime, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan opted to throw his hat in the ring to become a suitable middle-order option with his noteworthy knocks. Kishan retained his spot in the World Cup squad while Rahul became India’s stand-in skipper for the first two One Day Internationals (ODIs) against Australia. With the Australia series being India’s final stop before the ICC World Cup, a lot was still at stake for a fit-again Iyer.
On Sunday, Iyer flexed his muscles on Aussie bowlers to seal a famous series win for the World Cup hosts. Promoted to bat up the order, Iyer played an outstanding knock of 105 off 90 balls. The premier batter played at the No.3 position which is reserved for run-machine Virat Kohli at the World Cup. Match-winner Iyer gave ex-India skipper Kohli a special mention after the premier batter was named the Player of the Match in Indore.
‘Virat Kohli is one of the greats’
“Glad that I was able to execute my plans perfectly today. Basically when I went in to bat, I didn’t want to complicate things. I wanted to get my eyes set, that’s how I give confidence to myself. I am flexible, ready to bat any position, whatever my team needs me to do. Virat (Kohli) is one of the greats, there’s no chance of stealing that (number 3) spot from him. I just need to keep scoring wherever (at any position) I bat,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation.
Kohli, who was rested for the first two matches of the Australia series, will return to the Indian playing XI in the 3rd ODI on Wednesday. Similar to Kohli, Iyer had an animated reaction after the India batter completed his third century in the ODI series decider against Australia. The No.3 batter for India in the 2nd ODI took 39 singles to slam a brilliant century. Batting at a strike rate of over 116, Iyer stroked 11 fours and hammered three sixes.
‘I was in a lonely space’
“It was a rollercoaster ride. I’ve been working so hard the last few months, and I was in a lonely space. My teammates, friends and family were there for my support. I was seeing the matches on TV, I wanted to be out there and participate in the matches. Grateful to be believing in myself. The pain and niggles kept on coming, but I knew what I was aiming for,” Iyer said after India defeated Australia by 99 runs in Indore.