The Indian vice-captain scored 66 off 71 balls in the Cardiff ODI against England.
India suffered a four-wicket defeat in the second ODI against England at Cardiff on Thursday (July 16), leaving the series tied at 1-1 with one match still remaining.
Invited to bat first, the tourists were bowled out for 233 in 44 overs. Despite strong fifties by Shreyas Iyer (66 off 71) and Virat Kohli (65 off 66), India’s middle order faltered as they lost five wickets for 32 runs.
In reply, England’s top and middle order crumbled, putting the team in a precarious position at 125/5. However, Joe Root (99*) held the innings together and steered the home team across the line with 35 deliveries to spare.
Despite India’s defeat, legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin commended Iyer’s batting effort, saying the vice-captain’s knock was on par with Kohli.
"I feel Shreyas Iyer's batting was class. If someone is batting in partnership with Virat, it is very difficult to say someone else batted better than Virat Kohli. In this case, Shreyas was looking nipped and tucked with Virat. Brilliant batting and such a welcome sign for Indian cricket," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
On a tricky, challenging Cardiff surface where the ball was doing a bit, Kohli anchored the innings. Once he was dismissed, India's lower-middle order faltered heavily.
Stressing the importance of Kohli’s wicket, Ashwin added: "Why do we call Virat a great in the 50-over format? Because he estimates the par score really well. When his wicket fell, it became very difficult for a slightly inexperienced Indian batting line-up. I don't know about Sundar's injury, but I feel him, Dube, and Axar could not cling on. Virat's wicket was very important on this pitch. Not everyone can play here. If India had made 250-260, it may have been a last-over finish for England."
Ashwin also praised Shubman Gill for his fluent knock at the top of the order. The Indian captain scored 31 off 30 balls with 6 fours before perishing on a delivery that would normally have raced away for a boundary through covers.
"I want to praise Shubman Gill. Yes, Kohli batted well. But apart from that, when Gill was batting, he looked completely different. There was not one ball that he missed. He looks in really good touch, and that is a big positive for India. The ball that he got out to was also unlucky. Most days that would have gone screaming through covers for four," he remarked.
The series-deciding third ODI will be played at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on Sunday (July 19).