Shreyas Iyer has sealed the No. 4 batting slot in white-ball cricket after a string of impressive performances post the World Cup 2019.
On Wednesday (February 5), Iyer once again proved his worth as he slammed 107-ball 103 – his maiden ODI ton – to propel India to a mammoth 347/4 in the first ODI against New Zealand at Hamilton.
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Speaking after the match, Shreyas attributed his success in the middle-order to flexible batting positions between No. 3 to No. 5 for the India A team.
"In India A, it's not that I have to bat number four all the time. You keep changing your position depending on what is the situation. I got to maneuver my place from 3 to 5, I kept changing (batting order). It's just that we get good practice there and you face different opposition as well so you get used to the atmosphere," Iyer told reporters in the post-match press conference.
For someone, who had to wait quite a bit for constant opportunity to cement his place in the senior side, the time spent on A tours was an important learning curve.
"India A games are always been helpful for me personally because whenever I used to go there, I used to make sure that as many matches I got, I have to make the best use of it and the players and the atmosphere is also amazing. You literally have no pressure," the 25-year-old said.
"And coming from the top arena (senior) to one level below (A team) doesn't make you feel that you are completely away from the team but you always see similar faces around you. I really enjoy that atmosphere like I said," he added.
Unfortunately, Iyer’s first ODI century went in vain as Indian bowlers failed to defend a massive target with Ross Taylor scoring a dazzling ton (109* off 84 balls) for the hosts.
"I am very happy but would have been happier if we could have finished the game on a winning note. First of many (centuries) I hope, so I would take this in my stride and try to make sure that next time, I finish on the winning side," Shreyas remarked.
Iyer added 102 runs for the third wicket with captain Virat Kohli and followed it up with a 136-run stand with KL Rahul.
Asked about the nature of the pitch, he said: "It was stopping and coming. There wasn't any variable bounce on the wicket. We just decided that we needed to take this phase and build a partnership.
"I'm really happy the way I planned my innings. I was keeping my patience and I had that self-belief that once I cross that certain mark, I will be able to cover up for all the dot balls I faced and I was really happy," Iyer explained his gameplan.
He felt that batting did become easier in the second innings.
"If you see, the wicket had improved quite a bit in the second innings. The ball was coming on to the bat and the dew factor played an important role too in this game. They batted really well, and you have to give them credit.
"If you look at it, 348 is not an easy chase but the way they planned their innings, with one guy anchoring it and the rest playing cameos. Credit to them for the way they scored, and it was a very good win for them," Iyer asserted.
(With PTI inputs)
