Shreyas Iyer sees Australia’s short-ball strategy against him as an opportunity to score runs. In the first two ODIs, Iyer has faced fast bowlers who, both times, have thrown him with a short leg and a leg caught in ravine and a clear plan to launch increasing deliveries into his body. Both times, he’s been fired: one with a steep goalie and the second with a slower one. But Iyer said this plan plays into his attack, even suggesting it was an honor that Australia was plotting against him.
“I definitely know they’ve planned against me,” he said, “so I’m very happy. At least they’re coming up with a plan against me to get me out. I feel very overwhelmed and I take it as a challenge because, you see, I thrive under pressure. And besides, it really motivates going against them. They set up attacking fields that really help me score runs, so I take advantage of that and make sure I make the best use of it. “
Iyer made 38 in a slightly longer run in the second ODI, having entered during the ninth with a plan that seemed to be focused on getting inside the short bowling line and hitting on the outside side. Without being overly convincing, he went deeper into the innings and faced spinners Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell in the intermissions. This had not been the case during the first ODI, when Iyer was awkwardly caught between two or three options on the second ball of his innings.
“I knew the short ball was going to come, so I was on two minds,” Iyer said of that firing. “I was thinking about shooting and at the same time I have the upper cut. I got stuck between two shots and couldn’t make the shot. So maybe that’s why I got stuck in one place; and the ball came and hit the middle of the bat even then.
“In the second game, I thought: look at the ball and react. It’s very easy to do that, instead of thinking about what the player is throwing. In fact, you can predict, once you are ready, what the player will do. bowl, so I usually give myself time at the beginning and that’s what I applied in the second game and it really worked well. “
“We are working on some routines and processes that have not been going well for us in the last games. And I am sure that it is just the transition phase from T20 to one day players, it is really difficult, especially for the bowlers coming. and throwing ten overs at a trot ”
Shreyas Iyer on the Indian Bowling Attack
Iyer is in his first consistent career with the Indian team after debuting in 2017, and has impressed in the No. 4 spot he was assigned after last year’s World Cup. Including his scores in this series, Iyer has a score of over 50 for every two innings in his 20 ODIs so far, only nine of which have been played at home. As such, he said, this test of his technique wasn’t something that would force him to make too many adjustments mid-tour.
“I feel like it’s just the mindset that you need to adjust,” he said. “[I’ve] been playing for so many years … obviously this is my first time playing in Australia and on these grounds. We all know wickets are bouncy and bowlers will only throw you in the body area and short balls will come your way.
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“Instead of squatting too much, it’s very important that you stand up and play the ball, so it’s easy to choose the shorts as well. I’ve established my patterns from the beginning. Every time I play, I give myself a little time, I prepare myself and then I face the bowlers. And if they come up with that field, it’s really important that I also be aggressive because with that [field set], it is very easy to manipulate the field. “
A more immediate factor contributing to oxidation, Iyer said, was conditions. Getting acclimated to Australia, having come from the United Arab Emirates and then practicing on fields he called “completely different” from the two games so far have all added to the challenge for hitters. And for bowlers too.
“If you see the amount of work that they had to go through in the IPL (playing 14 games) and after that they came here and quarantined, that definitely plays on your mind. And it plays with all the individuals on the team. It’s not just the bowlers, “he said. “We are working on some routines and processes that have not been going well for us in the last games. And I am sure it is just the transition phase from T20 to one day players; it is really difficult, especially for the bowlers coming and throwing ten overs at a trot.
“And also fielding for 50 overs. So it’s not easy from their point of view. There are many more games ahead and I’m sure they will come back very strong and in a positive mood.”
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