Dubai [UAE], March 10 (ANI): After adding another chapter of success to its rich cricketing history, India captain Rohit Sharma gave a special mention to “silent hero” Shreyas Iyer, who has been a source of stability in the star-studded middle order.
The sold-out crowd in Dubai and millions of spectators sang verses in praise of India after the Men in Blue scripted a four-wicket victory in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand on Sunday.
Throughout the tournament, India’s middle order has been the silent guardian, protecting the team from adverse situations after a top-order collapse or linking up with them to formulate match-saving partnerships.
“I am very proud of this team. 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, and the batters made big partnerships,” Rohit told reporters in the post-match press conference.
While the added batting depth has played to India’s advantage, Shreyas has managed to stand out among the rest with his calm demeanour and aggressive intent.
Even though he didn’t have big centuries to boast about, his consistency lifted him to become India’s top run-getter at the end of the tournament. Shreyas finished behind Rachin Ravindra with a tally of 243 runs from five matches at an average of 48.60.
Rohit cited various examples of Shreyas forming crucial partnerships across different games to highlight the 30-year-old’s value in India’s journey to rewriting record books.
“Not to forget the silent hero Shreyas Iyer, who, 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 with him and Virat at that point was very, very important. And even against Pakistan and New Zealand, the league game that we played,” Rohit said.
Even in the final, when Rohit lost his wicket when he took a stroll outside his crease, missed his wild swing and got stumped, Shreyas ensured India stayed on track.
He raised a 61-run partnership with Axar Patel to break New Zealand’s hopes of securing another ICC title. Shreyas lost his wicket while trying to take on the Kiwis’ skipper, Mitchell Santner and holed it to Rachin Ravindra at backward square leg.
“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 the conditions as soon as possible, it feels good. So that’s why my work is less than it should be,” he added. (ANI)
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