They're absolutely experienced enough – Shreyas Iyer on the Abhishek Sharma-Sanju Samson duo
India pulled off a phenomenal chase in Christchurch as the batters came together, shooting down a target of 225 with two balls to spare. Shreyas Iyer played a very composed role, knitting together a knock of 42 from just 28 balls.
He regulated the innings to perfection while propelling India across the finish line. Talking at the post-match presentation, Iyer opened up on the conditions in Christchurch while revealing his conversation with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson in case of a high chase.
Highlighting the conditions, Iyer said, “So when we started bowling, I thought it was playing a bit slow. The ball was holding a bit, and we bowled a little ahead compared to the hard lengths we should have been hitting. But as soon as the game progressed, we saw the dew coming in, and the wicket was skidding flatter as the ball was getting through and coming onto the bat pretty well, and that's how they got the momentum and they reached to 220. Kudos to them for the efforts, but obviously we needed that kind of start, especially when you're chasing 220, getting to 80-85 in six overs, that's a tremendous start.”
Reflecting on his advice to Sharma and Samson at the top of the order, Iyer stated, “Yeah, they're absolutely experienced enough. You don't have to tell them how to go about their business. They know exactly what they're doing, and once they get going, it's just about the momentum they carry forward, and today was just an example of that. So obviously it doesn't happen every time, but once they click, you see that they set a game for us, and the rest of us, we just come and steady the ship and see to it that we finish off the game.”
He concluded by lauding Naman Dhir, stating, “Yes, absolutely. He gives us a lot of options, especially for lefty batsmen, or even the right-handers batting, especially on this ground, coming in and bowling those two-three crucial overs actually can change the momentum. And I personally feel that the calm and composed nature that he showed today, it was simply magnificent to see him bat.”
