Yesterday’s first ODI of the three-match series against England saw Shreyas Iyer return to the Indian side with a bang, scoring 59 runs off of 36 balls. He joined Shubman Gill at No. 4 after the opening batsmen were dismissed, and he remained resolute and played with unrestrained aggressiveness to take the attack to the English bowling unit.
Following his 530-run World Cup 2023 performance, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting voiced his surprise that a batter of Iyer’s calibre was not a regular fixture of the national team.
Additionally, he praised Shreyas Iyer recent success on the domestic circuit.
He has been away from India for the past few years, which has somewhat surprised me. When he played brilliantly in the middle order during the World Cup in India, I thought he had virtually sealed the deal and made it his own. After that, he suffered a few injuries, most notably to his back, which forced him to leave the team, but that apart, he has had an incredible domestic season. In the most recent issue of The ICC Review, Ponting stated, “It kind of fit with what he’s done since around (IPL) auction time going forward, he has been pretty much outstanding.”
It pleases me to see him rejoining their team: Ricky Ponting
Iyer was a member of the Delhi Capitals’ XI throughout their time together, and Ponting, who head-coached 55 games for the team, described how effective Iyer was as a batter against spin in the limited-overs format.
“He possesses a game that can withstand white-ball formats, particularly in that region of the world. He is dynamic on those wickets, which are the slower, lower ones. We are aware of his skill as a spin-bowling hitter, and although teams against India don’t often bowl much spin, it will eventually happen. In the centre, Shreyas is just as good as anyone else. Ponting continued, “I’m happy to see him back on their team.”
Following multiple outstanding performances in the previous Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy editions, Iyer rejoined India’s 50-over team. For the next Champions Trophy, he is also one of the 15 players from the country.
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