Shreyas Iyer on firm ground

After getting multiple opportunities from captain Rohit and coach Dravid, India batsman Shreyas returns favour with consecutive knocks of 25* & 53*

So highly do they rate his presence at No. 4, that Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid were willing and eager to walk the extra mile and give Shreyas Iyer every possible opportunity to be a part of India’s World Cup campaign. Almost unobtrusively, the 28-year-old is beginning to repay the faith, doing justice to the show of confidence from his captain and his coach.

This has been a frustrating year for the Mumbaikar, who has spent as much time tending to his misbehaving back as he has on the field. From January, when he was forced to miss the One-Day International series against New Zealand, his dodgy back has been troubling him, eventually necessitating surgery in London in April. Since then, he was in a race against time to make a complete recovery.

Short return at the Asia Cup

Iyer’s comeback was to be at the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in August-September but after two matches, he contracted spasms just before the toss in the Super 4 tie against Pakistan on September 10. Even then, the think-tank stayed patient, putting him in a good mind space and encouraging him to follow the rehabilitation and return-to-play protocols without pressure or haste.

The three-match home series against Australia in late September, where Iyer returned triumphantly with a century, dispelled any doubts about his fitness. Once there, it was a no-brainer that he would be an integral part of the Indian XI. Iyer didn’t have the greatest World Cup debut, playing a very poor stroke with his team on two for two in their first game against Australia in Chennai. 

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An expansive drive without getting to the pitch of a widish delivery meant he was the third batsman in the innings to be dismissed without scoring. Hardly an auspicious beginning.

Impressive in last 2 matches

In the last two matches, Iyer has quietly played himself back into the runs. The spotlight has been trained firmly on the marauding Rohit, who followed up the 131 against Afghanistan with 86 in the game against Pakistan on Saturday. Iyer has only had to play bit parts, but he has done so with aplomb, remaining unbeaten on 25 in the eight-wicket rout of Afghanistan and on 53 in the seven-wicket pounding of Pakistan. Both knocks have been quintessentially Iyer—he has worked the gaps and run excellently, he has used his feet to the spinners and unfurled huge aerial hits down the ground. 

He has stood tall and played the pull when the ball has been around waist-high, though he has also had his moments of discomfort when it has been a little higher and the line a touch outside off. In the final analysis, the plusses have comprehensively held sway, which is a terrific development given that India’s campaign is only three matches young and so much intense cricket lies ahead.

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