India skipper Rohit Sharma on Monday (March 14) heaped praise on Shreyas Iyer, saying the latter had big shoes to fill following the axing of veterans like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane and he did a brilliant job in the 2-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka.
Iyer, who replaced Rahane in the playing XI, returned with scores of 92 and 67 across the two innings on a turning Chinnaswamy track to script India’s 238-run victory in the second Test. The right-hander made 27 in India’s innings and 222 runs victory in the Test series opener in Mohali.
Apart from Iyer, Hanuma Vihari replaced Pujara at number three and registered scores of 58, 31, and 35 in the two-Test series. Other star performers in the series were Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and R Ashwin.
“It’s been a good run, and I have enjoyed it personally and as a team. We wanted to achieve a few things as a team, and we have done that,” said Rohit, who led India for the first time in Tests.
Commenting on individual brilliance, the captain said, “We have seen Jadeja grow as a batter, and he seems to get better and better. He strengthens the team, and he’s also improving as a bowler. And he’s a gun fielder, so he is a complete package.
“Shreyas just carried on from where he left off in the T20 series against Sri Lanka. He seemed to carry that form into the Test series.
“He knew he was stepping into the big shoes of guys like Rahane and Pujara, but he has everything that he requires. He will be better now when he starts travelling.
“Rishabh seems to get better with each game that he plays. Especially in these conditions. We saw it in the England series (last year) and now. A couple of catches and stumpings showed how confident he is.”
Rohit had special praise reserved for veteran off-spinner R Ashwin, who finished with 12 scalps in the Test series against Sri Lanka.
“(On Ashwin) It was personally my feeling (that he is an all-time great). Whenever we give him the ball, he comes up with match-winning performances. He’s got a lot of years left in him. We have lots of occasions to look forward to.
“I have to ensure he’s in a good mind space. Pink-ball Tests are challenging. We never knew what it was like to play with the pink ball in India, but we are learning to make those adjustments. The crowd just makes it more special,” Rohit said.
(With PTI inputs)
