No chance of stealing that spot - Shreyas Iyer on batting at No.3

India rode high on the heroics of Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill to fire off to a feisty start before KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan knitted together a late flourish to take India to a staggering 399 in the 2nd ODI against Australia.  After the performance of the batters, the Indian bowlers pulled off a phenomenal job with the ball to script a memorable victory ahead of the upcoming World Cup.

A back spasm didn’t allow Iyer to be a part of the Asia Cup but he was reintroduced to the side for the series against Australia and despite falling short in the first game, he came up on top in the second game, blasting a crucial 90-ball 105 with 11 fours and three sixes.

He was awarded the Player of the Match for his brilliant ton and talking in the post-match conference, Iyer said, “It was a rollercoaster ride, feeling fantastic. My team-mates, 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.”

He also shed some light about his fitness, adding, “The pain and niggles kept on coming, but I knew what I was aiming for. 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.”

Iyer concluded by talking about his fitness and his batting position, stating, “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.”