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Shreyas Iyer continued his prolific form against New Zealand in the ODIs by putting another dazzling performance on exhibition during the final group stage match in the ongoing Champions Trophy on Sunday.
With India tottering at 30/3 in the powerplay, Shreyas brought out all the weapons from his arsenal to lead the fight for control. He staged India's counterattack by initiating a strike rotation policy with Axar Patel before delivering a rollicking individual performance. Shreyas stabilised India's sinking ship by raising a 98-run stand with Axar and struck 79 from 98 deliveries, a perfect blend of aggression and caution. Shreyas boasts a whopping 563 runs in nine ODI matches at a scintillating average of 70.37 while maintaining a strike rate of 100.71, including two centuries and four fifties with a best score of 105. Across all formats, Shreyas has played against the Kiwis in 24 matches, garnering 990 runs at an average of 47.14, three centuries, and six fifties. His love affair with the Blackcaps began in the Test format with a century against New Zealand on his Test debut in Kanpur in November 2021. He mesmerised the spectators with a 105 in 171 balls, featuring 13 fours and two towering sixes. Notably, Shreyas, a local Mumbai star, returned to the Wankhede Stadium and set the stage on fire with a century against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup 2023 semi-final. His explosive 105 off 70 deliveries two years back, was laced with four boundaries and eight maximums. He crossed the three-digit mark in 67 balls, the fastest by any batter in World Cup knockouts. In the ongoing group stage clash, Shreyas sniffed his first boundary of the inning when William O'Rourke was introduced in the attack. After threatening in his initial overs, the 23-year-old was handed the ball to bowl his fourth over of the spell. With three different shots, Shreyas reeled off three boundaries off O'Rourke to increase the run flow. He used his feet well to negate the threat posed by New Zealand. He looked flawless in his approach, punished the bowler for bowling a loose delivery and perfectly implemented each shot. His exploits ended at the hands of none other than O'Rourke. The 23-year-old had the last laugh and got the better of Shreyas with a short ball, the 30-year-old's biggest nemesis. Shreyas spliced his shot to Will Young, who fumbled in his first attempt but got hold of the ball in the second. With the catch completed, Shreyas returned to the dressing room with a valiant 79(98). His heroics with the bat laid the foundation for India to put a fighting total of 249/9 on the board. (ANI)
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