‘Don’t have to send any message to anyone’: Shreyas Iyer pummels critics in ‘very satisfying’ Champions Trophy reminder

India batter Shreyas Iyer capped off a fabulous run in ODI cricket in the last two months. Although it started on a concerning note, with Iyer being handed uncertainty over his role in the set-up, the 30-year-old wrapped it up on a heroic note after he finished as India’s leading run-getter in the victorious Champions Trophy campaign. Having added his Dubai performances to his roll of honours, Iyer sent a sharp message to his critics.

Iyer’s vulnerability to shorter deliveries has been secret to none and opposition attacks have openly exploited the weakness. New Zealand had also tried it during their group game in the Champions Trophy, but the India star was well-equipped to take on the challenge as he emerged on top with a match-winning knock of 79.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Iyer did not regret missing out on the three-figure score, saying that it was sweeter as it helped the team win.

“Very, very satisfying. Maybe I could have got a century, but no regrets. In fact, it was sweeter because I got the team to a decent total, and we were able to win by 44 runs,” he said.

When asked if his confidence in taking on shorter deliveries came from the two sixes he hit against the variety from Jofra Archer in the Nagpur game against England in the home ODI series last month, Iyer said that he had hit similar shots during the domestic season.

“In terms of the confidence, yes. But you look at my domestic season, I played so many this year and hit sixes off difficult deliveries. I gained a lot of confidence from that. Technically, I was able to get a wide stance and create a great base, which enabled me to generate that force. I was able to replicate that in the England (home) series and the matches after that,” he added.

So, does that answer his critics now? Iyer reckoned he no longer needed to send them a separate message, indicating that his bat would do the talking.

“I don’t have to send any message to anyone. All I have to do is believe in myself and play the best cricket possible. The message automatically gets delivered.”

‘It’s all a result of hard work’

Having earlier explained how he changed his stance during the domestic season to tackle bouncers, Iyer added that it was all a result of behind-the-scenes work.

“The hard work which you put is when you are tested as an athlete and as an individual. There are a lot of people who have helped me during this process, Amre sir, Abhishek Nayar, my trainer Sagar and my nutritionist Nicole Kedia,” he added.