Indian captain Rohit Sharma showered praise on Shreyas Iyer after the Champions Trophy final win against New Zealand. India registered a four-wicket win against the Kiwis at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Sunday to win their seventh ICC title.
Rohit said Iyer was the silent hero of the team and delivered in almost all the matches. Iyer scored a crucial knock of 48 runs in the summit clash against the Blackcaps in the run-chase of 252. India was in a spot of bother at 122-3 but Iyer added a pivotal alliance of 61 runs with Axar Patel.
The Mumbai batter scored 243 runs in five matches of the eight-team tournament at an average of 48.60 and was India’s highest run-getter in the competition and the second-highest overall.
Rohit Sharma said in the post-match press conference, “We knew the conditions would be difficult, but we adapted well. If you look at all the games, the first game was against Bangladesh. I know it was only 230, but we knew that the wicket was a little slow. We needed partnerships. The batsmen made big partnerships. Not to forget the silent hero Shreyas Iyer throughout the tournament was brilliant.”
“He was very, very important in that middle phase for us. Stitched the partnerships with all the batters who are batting with him that semi-final against Australia, with him and with Virat at that point was very, very important.”
Rohit hailed the middle order for consistently delivering the goods and said he was able to bat aggressively as the other batters performed for the team.
“Even against Pakistan and New Zealand, the league game that we played. And even today, to be honest When I got out, we had lost three wickets. And at that time, again, we needed a partnership of 50 to 70 runs, which he and Shreyas have done. So, when such performances happen, when you understand the conditions and adapt to the conditions as soon as possible, it feels good. So, that’s why my work is less than it should be,” said Rohit.
Rohit will be next seen in action for Mumbai Indians whereas Shreyas Iyer will lead Punjab Kings in the upcoming IPL.
