IPL 10: Was one of my best innings in the IPL, says Shreyas Iyer

The young batsmen of the Delhi Daredevils do not cease to impress. They have been very impressive this season despite the fact that the team, as a unit, has largely failed this season. They are out of contention for the playoffs. However, the way the youngsters have stepped up is a big positive for them. The latest to join the list of impressive youngsters is Shreyas Iyer.

Iyer scored a magnificent 96 against the Gujarat Lions to help his side register a 2-wicket win at Kanpur. He reflected back at his innings in the post-match press conference. The young Mumbai batsman noted that he would have liked it, even more, had he been able to finish the game for his team. Also, he was not upset with the fact that he missed out on his century.

“It feels amazing. I would have been happier if I had finished the game. It is still one of my best innings in the IPL. I wasn’t thinking much about my hundred, I decided at the start I would bat till the end. The hundred doesn’t matter, winning the game does,” said Shreyas Iyer as per the quotes in Cricbuzz.

He elaborated that the batsmen need to apply themselves in the middle. They cannot use the long handle right from the word go. Also, it all comes down to the self-belief. It is one of the key attributes that the players must have in all formats of the game.

“You can take [your] time in T20 cricket, you just can’t go there and bang from the first ball, you need to take time as a batsman. If you believe in yourself that you can cover for all the [dot deliveries] at the end. The same thing goes in other formats as well,” Iyer explained.

Shreyas Iyer definitely was not at his very best right from the beginning of the season. He struggled in the initial bit. Trying to analyse the same, he noted that it was the shuffling in the batting order that caused him a few issues. However, he is up for the challenge now and is confident of batting at any order in the team.

“I wasn’t bad right from the start. As my batting order [was] shifted from opening to No. 4, I tried to [bat with] responsibility and authority to take the innings through, this was one of the examples of that. More of this will make me happy. It is challenging [to switch batting slots], but you are a professional player and you need to manage all these things. You need to be ready to bat at any position,” conceded Shreyas Iyer.