Shreyas Iyer responds to critics after succeeding in Champions Trophy
What's the story
Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer has silenced his critics with a brilliant run of form in the ODI format.
The 30-year-old ended his two-month ODI run on a high, becoming India's top scorer in their victorious Champions Trophy campaign.
From initial struggles to doubts over his place in the team, Iyer's stellar performances have now added Dubai to his list of achievements.
Triumph
Iyer addresses his critics with outstanding performances
Iyer has been criticized for his weakness against shorter deliveries, a chink opposition teams have tried to exploit.
However, in the Champions Trophy group match against New Zealand, Iyer silenced his critics by scoring a match-winning 79.
"I don't have to send any message to anyone. All I have to do is believe in myself and play the best cricket possible. The message automatically gets delivered," he told Hindustan Times.
Campaign
Iyer only behind Ravindra
Iyer was in sublime form throughout the tourney as his scores read 15, 56, 79, 49, and 48.
The batter hence finished the campaign with 243 runs across five games at 48.60.
His strike rate (79.41) was on the lower side as all of India's matches were played in Dubai, where not a single game witnessed a 270-plus score.
Meanwhile, Iyer was only behind NZ's Rachin Ravindra in terms of runs.
The latter finished with 263 runs.
Strategy
Iyer shares insights on his batting strategy
Iyer was satisfied with his performance throughout the tourney.
He said: "Very, very satisfying. Maybe I could have got a century, but no regrets. In fact, it was sweeter because I got the team to a decent total, and we were able to win."
He said his confidence against shorter deliveries wasn't just from his sixes against Jofra Archer last month, but similar shots he played during the domestic season.
Support
Iyer credits his support team for his success
Iyer credited his support team for his success: "The hard work which you put is when you are tested as an athlete and as an individual. There are a lot of people who have helped me during this process, Amre sir, Abhishek Nayar, my trainer Sagar and my nutritionist Nicole Kedia."
His recent performances have silenced critics and shown Iyer's resilience and commitment to improving as a player.