Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane reckons Shreyas Iyer would be disappointed after he could not take his team home in the first ODI against New Zealand. Though India registered a four-wicket win at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, Iyer was dismissed after scoring 49 runs off 47 balls.

Iyer, who was making a return to the Indian squad after recovering from a serious spleen injury, was bowled by Kyle Jamieson on Sunday. The Mumbai batter added 77 runs off 76 balls with Virat Kohli for the fourth wicket but India lost three quick wickets in the space of three overs to veer off the track.

Rahane lauded Iyer for the way he batted after recuperating from injury.

Ajinkya Rahane said on Cricbuzz, “He’ll (Iyer) be upset with himself (timing of dismissal). But the way he batted today, especially rotating the strike and hitting big against spinners and pacers, was amazing. He’s the right guy to bat at No. 4. He can play any kind of role. If the team wants a different strike rate, he can do that. And if the Indian team is down two to three wickets early, Shreyas can actually build the innings and take it really deep.”

“His calculations are really good, especially during run-chases. But I am sure he’ll be really upset with the way he got out at a crucial juncture in the game.”

On the other hand, Rahane noted that India promoted Harshit Rana ahead of injured Washington Sundar to take the attack to the opposition. Rana scored a crucial cameo of 29 runs off just 23 balls to help add the finishing touches in the run-chase of 30.

“They were concerned about Washington’s injury. My guess is they sent Harshit Rana just to attack and try to finish the game as early as possible because of Washington Sundar’s situation,” said Rahane (via the aforementioned source).

The second ODI between India and New Zealand will be played at Rajkot on Wednesday.