Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra lauded Shreyas Iyer for his scintillating knock in the second ODI against South Africa in Ranchi. He believes that his innings will give him great confidence and he can cement his place in the place inside for the Cricket World Cup 2023 next year.
“2023 ODI World Cup is also coming. He could fill the No. 5 slot, he is capable of that,” Aakash Chopra on Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer was one of the main architects behind India’s 7-wicket victory over South Africa in the second ODI in Ranchi. The right-hander smashed his second ton in the 50-over format and guided his team home to level the series 1-1.
Chasing the target of 279 runs, India was in a spot of bother after they lost both the openers for just 48 runs. Iyer, who came to bat at No.4, then stitched a critical 161 runs partnership with Ishan Kishan (93) and bailed his team out of the trouble.
He played according to the situation and took calculated risks to end with the score of unbeaten 113 runs with the help of 15 fours. Notably, Iyer has been in a staggering form of late as he has 5 fifties and 1 hundred in the last 6 ODI innings.
Iyer’s innings were lauded by many including cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra, who in a video posted on his YouTube channel, praised the batter for his purple patch and said:
“India were struggling a bit when Iyer came into bat. Iyer is batting well and the way he is batting is also interesting to see. This hundred will hold him in great stead. Firstly, he is a reserve for the World Cup, so there will be an in-form player waiting should anything go wrong. Secondly, the 2023 ODI World Cup is also coming. He could fill the No. 5 slot, he is capable of that,”
“India would have been in trouble had they bowled second,” Aakash Chopra feels bowling first favoured the hosts
It’s fair to say that South African skipper Keshav Maharaj missed the trick by batting first. Indian bowlers made good use of the conditions and bowled exceptionally well both at the start and in the middle. Reeza Hendricks (74) and Aiden Markram (79) brought their side back to the game but they fell at the fag end of the innings which restricted South Africa to a total of 278.
India then chased the target under lights quite easily despite early blows and levelled the series. Chopra feels that bowling first favoured India as South Africa could’ve easily chased the target. Adding further, he said:
“India would have been in trouble had they bowled second. They only had three seamers and the wet ball would not have turned much. South Africa would have easily chased down 280.”
The series decider third ODI between India and South Africa is all set to take place on Tuesday (9th October) at Arun Jaitely Stadium in Delhi.
