Former England captain Nasser Hussain showered accolades upon Indian batter Shreyas Iyer, commending his selfless performance in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Sri Lanka at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.
During a conversation with Star Sports after the first innings, Hussain lauded Iyer for not pursuing individual glory, despite calls for his removal from the team. Iyer delivered an impressive performance, amassing 82 runs off 56 balls, including three fours and six maximums in Mumbai.
"Some people have been saying that he should be dropped since Suryakumar scored 49 against England. In that case, many players would just play for themselves and get a 40 odd off as many balls. But he didn't, he was the finisher," said Hussain.
He praised Iyer for his aggressive batting, saying that he played for the team. His knock helped India post a total of 357 runs for 8 wickets on the board after 50 overs.
"He was smashing it everywhere. He played for the team. He looks to get into better positions when he's attacking the bowler. I think he needs to have a very attacking mindset like he did today," Hussain added.
Iyer joined the ranks of the 12th fastest batters to reach 2000 runs in ODI cricket, sharing this distinction with Gordon Greenidge from the West Indies, Jonny Bairstow from England, Kyle Coetzer from Scotland, and Fakhar Zaman from Pakistan.
Before Iyer's turn at bat, it was Gill and Kohli who aggressively took on the Sri Lankan bowlers. This pair formed a strong partnership, adding 189 runs for the second wicket, a valuable contribution after Madushanka had dismissed Rohit Sharma, a prized wicket.
Iyer has been a crucial part of the Indian batting lineup, especially since the 2019 World Cup, when he was considered a strong contender to bat at No. 4. He was eventually sent back to the pavilion by Dilshan Madushanka in the 48th over. His innings played a significant role in India reaching a total of 357 for 8 in their 50 overs during the first innings.
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