Shreyas Iyer laments not being more forceful against Pakistan, saying, “I think we could have won a bit earlier.”

The Champions Trophy saw the Men in Blue defeat the hosts, Pakistan, by six wickets in yet another resounding victory. Virat Kohli was named Player of the Match after his incredible 100* off 111 balls. Together with him, Shreyas Iyer made a vital contribution, scoring 114 runs to put India in a position to win.

Despite his reputation for attacking, Shreyas Iyer was more cautious when against Pakistan. Only later in the innings did he begin to attack, ultimately finishing at 56 off 67 deliveries. Shreyas Iyer appeared dissatisfied even though the victory appeared convincing enough because he thought that if they had batted more aggressively, the game may have ended sooner.

We could have won a little sooner, in my opinion. Iyer stated in the press conference following the game against Pakistan that it would have been a resounding victory.

Shreyas Iyer immediately responded when a journalist asked the middle-order batsman if a six-wicket victory with more than seven overs remaining was not convincing enough for the player.

Shreyas Iyer retorted, “But we could have won a little sooner if we could have played more aggressively.”

Taking the initiative against Abrar wasn’t simple: Shreyas Iyer

Abrar Ahmed, the mystery spinner, was the only bowler on the Pakistani team who appeared dangerous. The 26-year-old also silenced Iyer, who is regarded as one of the best spin bowlers. The Indian batsman even praised the 26-year-old for an economical spell of 1/28 in his 10 overs, which included a fantastic delivery that got rid of Shubman Gill.

Abrar bowled really well, in my opinion. Playing out the spell and rotating the attack at the same time was vital and significant. After a little while, I decided that sweep and reverse sweep would have been a fantastic way to put them on the defensive. And I believe that was a good strategy for me,” Shreyas Iyer remarked.

“Taking the initiative against Abrar wasn’t simple. It was crucial to take as many singles as you could during that stage and to keep the team going until the very end. It’s simple to keep going when we hit 30 or 40 runs,” Shreyas Iyer continued.