Former India opener Aakash Chopra has lauded Shreyas Iyer for silencing his critics with a belligerent half-century in the first ODI against England in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6. He pointed out that naysayers were questioning the middle-order batter’s place in India’s squad and playing XI.
The Men in Blue bundled England out for 248 after Jos Buttler opted to bat first. Shreyas smashed 59 runs off 36 deliveries in the chase as the hosts achieved the target with four wickets and 68 deliveries to spare to start the three-match series with a win.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, the cricketer-turned-commentator praised the Indian team management for sticking with Shreyas despite the negative atmosphere created around him.
In a post-match interview, Shreyas disclosed that he wasn’t supposed to play the first ODI against England. However, Virat Kohli‘s knee injury ahead of the game helped the Mumbaikar get a place in the playing XI.
In the same video, Aakash Chopra appreciated Shreyas Iyer’s game against the short ball in Thursday’s match.
The analyst added that Shreyas’ aggressive approach helped India’s cause and made the England bowlers’ job difficult.
To conclude, Chopra opined that the ODI is Shreyas’ best format, much like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He pointed out that while the 30-year-old is decent in Tests and T20Is, he is at home in the ODI format.
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