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India's Shreyas Iyer plays a shot during the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between India and New Zealand at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP)Former India batter Ambati Rayudu showered praise on Shreyas Iyer and said the right-handed batter showed the importance of a No 4 in the batting line-up.
India got off to a poor start – Rohit Sharma was out caught for 15, while Matt Henry trapped in-form Shubman Gill lbw for two. It became 30/3 as Virat Kohli was caught at backward point for 11 when Glenn Phillips took a sensational one-handed flying catch.
Shreya Iyer came to India’s rescue as he put on 98 runs off 136 balls for the fourth wicket with Axar Patel. Patel scored a calm 42 off 61 balls, further strengthening his position as a reliable middle-order batter.
At the other end, Iyer batted in a different style, biding his time and curbing his naturally aggressive instinct. He reached 50 off 75 with four fours. He hit two sixes after that and started taking more risks which led to his downfall. He was caught off a short delivery from Will O’Rourke in the 37th over. Iyer scored a gritty 79.
“The importance of a No. 4 batsman is evident here,” Ambati Rayudu told JioHotstar.
“You need someone to play such crucial innings when the top order fails, especially on challenging surfaces that are not easy to bat on.
“That’s where No. 4 and No. 5 become critical in an ODI game. Shreyas played an amazing innings, and his partnership with Axar Patel was crucial.
“The ease with which he batted on this pitch was remarkable.
“He handled short balls well until he got out and played spin beautifully, using the crease and angles to his advantage. He picked the pace of the ball much better than many others in the Indian lineup.
“It was an unbelievable knock, and he’s been a champion at No. 4. We don’t talk about him enough, but he has had a great impact on this Indian side.”
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