As India gear up for the upcoming 5-match Test series against England in home conditions, all eyes will be on the middle-order for the hosts. One of the pivotal figures in the engine room for the hosts will be Shreyas Iyer.

Despite being snubbed in the shorter format of the game for the T20I series against Afghanistan, he was included in the upcoming red-ball series against England where the management will hope for the middle-order stalwart to fire on all cylinders. Currently, Shreyas is plying his trade for Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, where they went onto brave the might of Andhra Pradesh.

England’s recent stint in Test cricket has sparked a new term that saw them turning the tide around in emphatic fashion from the ashes, which has been called ‘Bazball’. Under Brendon McCullum’s guidance as coach, the England batting unit has shown to the world why they can be a very difficult team to deal with.

Talking on the entire concept of Bazball, Iyer said on Jio Cinema, “To be honest, I don’t really think about what the opposition is going to do and what kind of mindset they are going to come with. It’s important we stick to our own plans and focus on our own abilities rather than concentrate much on our opponents. So, these are the small qualities we have to keep in mind and look forward to put our best foot forward and see to it that we seize the moment.”

He concluded by talking about playing one match at a time, stating, “You have to take one match at a time and not think much ahead. You have to take all the factors into consideration. In terms of your mental ability, the stress is going to be a lot but at the same time, you have to handle the pressure situations well. So, these are the pros and cons of playing Test matches. You have to be mentally inclined towards adapting across 90 overs and as I mentioned, this was the right practice for me coming into the Ranji Trophy and getting used to the situation.”