Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra hailed Shreyas Iyer after India secured an eight-wicket win against the West Indies in the opening T20I at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Tuesday. Iyer scored a magnificent knock of 102 runs off just 43 balls as he batted at the top of his game.
The Indian skipper completed his maiden T20I century off just 42 deliveries. The right-hander timed the ball to perfect and delivered in the run-chase of 172.
Chopra said Iyer answered his critics in style after scoring the match-winning century at a strike rate of 237.21.
“Sarpanch sahab, the way he played, this knock was different. This was brutal. This was domination. Questions were being raised. When we did the preview yesterday, many viewers asked in the comments section whether Shreyas Iyer is my friend, as I don’t talk about him not scoring runs, lacking consistency, and having a low strike rate,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“I am thinking maybe there is merit, but I feel Shreyas Iyer is fairly decent, and there shouldn’t be any conversation on his name. He has just validated that. He has put one thing to rest – that one shouldn’t panic too much or overreact. If someone has done well earlier, he deserves slight respect and a slightly longer rope, and Shreyas just proved that right,” he added.
The former Delhi cricketer praised Iyer for maintaining his body positioning while playing the inside out shot in his brilliant knock.
“The most beautiful thing I felt was his body positioning. When you have to hit over cover, you have to take the back foot slightly back and play on the off side, and then you open your body when you try to access the leg side. I thought he was absolutely stellar,” he said.
“It was high-quality batting. He was hitting sixes at will, and hit sixes in different places. He hit over cover, down the ground, and over midwicket. Then he also played the delicate shots. He showed boldness, touch, and fearlessness. It was a full bouquet of shots, temperament, and technique,” Chopra observed.
Iyer scored 10 fours and six sixes in his blistering innings. The second T20I between India and the West Indies will be played at Ranchi on Friday.
