Shreyas Iyer's heroics at number nine powers Mumbai in VHT
Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer has been creating a buzz with his unorthodox batting strategy in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The veteran batter led his team to victory in the second-round match against Hyderabad on December 23. Iyer shocked everyone by opting to bat at number nine, after a few bowlers and all-rounders had batted. He scored a breathtaking 44* as Mumbai prevailed by three wickets.
Iyer's decision to bat at number 9
Mumbai suffered a shocking collapse while chasing target of 170 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium B Ground, Ahmedabad. However, instead of stepping up to bat after the fall of two early wickets, Iyer chose to send in bowling all-rounders and lower-order batsmen. This unconventional decision led to Hardik Tamore, Suryansh Shedge, Atharva Ankolekar, Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian batting before him and Suryakumar Yadav.
Iyer's strategy backfires as Mumbai loses 6 wickets
Iyer's strategy appeared to have backfired as Mumbai lost six wickets for just 67 runs. Even after Suryakumar was sent in at number eight and dismissed for 18 runs, Iyer did not take the crease immediately. It was only when the team was staring defeat in the face that he finally took his turn at the crease, batting at an unusual number nine position. Mumbau were reeling at 105/7 at the time of his arrival.
Iyer's impressive performance secures victory for Mumbai
Despite the pressure, Iyer came up with an impressive performance, scoring a quickfire 44 off just 20 balls. His unbeaten 70-run partnership with Kotian, who scored an undefeated 39, helped Mumbai clinch a three-wicket victory in just 25.2 overs. Star all-rounder Shivam Dube did not even come to bat in this game. This was Iyer's second impressive knock on the bounce as he scored an unbeaten 114 off 55 balls in Mumbai's opener against Karnataka.
Here are Iyer's stats
Shreyas's 44* from 20 balls was laced with four fours and three sixes. With this knock, the 30-year-old has raced to 5,742 runs across 146 List A games at a brilliant average of 47-plus, as per ESPNcricinfo. While his strike rate is around 99, the tally includes 13 tons and 35 half-centuries. 2,421 of his runs have come in ODIs at 47.47. In VHT, he has completed 1,618 runs at 55.79.
