Australia tour: Shreyas Iyer confident about tackling short balls
Indian middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer believes he can tackle the impetuous short balls well on the Australian tour. Speaking on the eve of final ODI, Iyer said he is "overwhelmed" that Australia have carved out a ploy against him. Notably, the 25-year-old has been the mainstay number four batsman in India's ODI squad lately. Here is more on the same.
Iyer has been dismissed to short balls twice
In the two ODIs so far, the Australian fast bowlers have perpetually tested Iyer with bouncers. The strategy seems to have worked as Iyer has been dismissed twice to short deliveries. Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood outclassed him in the series opener, while Moises Henriques uprooted him in the second. As of now, Iyer has amassed 40 runs from two games.
'I was in two minds,' he explains
"I knew the short ball was coming. I was in two minds. I was thinking of pulling and trying to play the upper cut. I was trying to play two shots at once. The ball came and hit the middle of bat," he added.
Iyer has cemented his spot in the ODI squad
Earlier this year, Iyer guided Delhi Capitals to a maiden final in the Indian Premier League. He was himself in sublime touch, having finished the tournament as the fourth-highest run-getter (519). The dashing batsman has duly solved India's number four woes in the ODIs. In 2020, Iyer has aggregated 312 runs from eight games, including a ton (vs NZ) and two fifties.
He hopes to make use of an attacking field set-up
Iyer hopes to make use of attacking fields that Australia set for him. "I feel very overwhelmed and take it as a challenge because I thrive under pressure. It really motivates to go against them. They set attacking fields which really helps me to score runs, so I take advantage of that and make the best use of it," he concluded.
Iyer could also be drafted in the Test squad
It was recently reported that Iyer could be roped in as a replacement for senior batsman Rohit Sharma, who has already been ruled out of the first two Tests. The former is already a part of both the white-ball squads. Iyer, who has racked up 4,592 runs at 52.18 in First-class cricket, could end up making his Test debut, if this happens.
'It's all about the mindset'
That apart, Iyer believes the mindset needs to be adjusted. "I feel it's just the mindset which you need to adjust. It's my first time in Australia playing on these wickets. We all know the wickets are very bouncy and the bowlers are going to bowl to you in the body area and the short balls are going to come at you," he concluded.
