Recently, he scored a promising 61-run knock in the 2nd ODI in Adelaide.
Shreyas Iyer has been in the headlines for the past couple of months. After his selection snub from the Test squad for the home series against the West Indies, the batter was backed by most pundits on social media. After a few days, Shreyas informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his decision to take a break from red-ball cricket until further notice.
The decision came on the back of his recent injuries, which made him realise his standing in terms of fitness. The 30-year-old opened up about multiple occurrences from his recent career, including the reason behind his break from the longer format, as well as his change in stance in the ongoing tour to Australia. He is also Shubman Gill’s deputy in the three-match series.
There were huge discussions over Shreyas’s stance and technique after he failed to impress in the first ODI, where he made 11 runs. But he returned to form after amassing 61 runs in the second ODI. After the Adelaide match, India’s No.4 spoke about his foremost batting stance, which was more upright, and he felt confident about it. He explained that he finds himself in a much better position compared to his latest stance, where he was facing problems, especially with the short ball.
However, he clarified that the changes were not executed overnight and that there was a significant thought process attached to them. Shreyas Iyer grew up playing with the same stance, so he thought of going back to what helped him in his early days.
To add to that, the 30-year-old voiced the importance of adapting to the conditions and surface to suit one’s game better. For a batter, it becomes extremely crucial to judge the nature of the wicket and bat accordingly. The first ODI in Perth had much more probing conditions than the second ODI in Adelaide.
“Even in Mumbai, when we play on red-soil wickets with extra bounce, an upright stance helps. You have to keep chopping and changing because every surface is different. I’ve changed my stance several times now, and I feel I can adapt anywhere at the moment,” Shreyas Iyer said.
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Shreyas has found himself on the receiving end of some injuries in the past, and that has made him understand the demands of his body better. The PBKS skipper recently pulled out of red-ball cricket until further notice, and opened up on the thought process behind that decision.
He elaborated that while playing a long-format game, his body needed more rest than the bandwidth allows, especially after bouncing back from injuries. Hence, he confirmed that the decision was taken with respect to recovery in mind.
“When I field for long hours in red-ball cricket, I’ve realised my intensity tends to drop. At the international level, that can make a difference. In ODIs, you have rest days and time to recover, so it’s easier to manage. Based on that, I’ve planned my approach,” Shreyas Iyer clarified.
The AUS vs IND 3rd ODI will be played on October 25 in Sydney, where the visitors will push their chances to avoid a whitewash.
While most players will stay back for the five T20Is in Australia, a few players, including KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj, will join the India A squad for multi-day matches against South Africa A. Shreyas Iyer will be one of the players to take a short break.
India’s next Test assignment will be at home against the Proteas. It will be followed by a red-ball series too.
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