Delhi Capitals middle-order cricketer Shreyas Iyer was delighted to have made a big difference for his team in their victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians on Saturday. In another low-scoring IPL 2021 encounter in Sharjah, Iyer’s unbeaten knock of 33 made a big impact for his team.
Walking into bat with DC 30/3 chasing a target of 130 on one more dry and sluggish track in Sharjah, Iyer stitched two very important stands with skipper Rishabh Pant (26) and lower-order batter Ravichandran Ashwin (20*).
The latter would’ve been more satisfying as Iyer and Ashwin closed the door on MI when they could smell an opportunity. They put on 39 runs for the seventh wicket after DC found themselves 93/6 at the start of the 14th over.
Iyer’s measured knock under pressure also kept Ashwin calm, as the off-spinner could focus on rotating the strike without feeling the need to play a big stroke. With his important run-a-ball effort, Iyer once again proved his immense value to the Delhi set-up.
“I felt really amazing to bat through and take my team till the end. It was a low scoring game, so I decided to stay till the end even though I was shifted lower down the order. I backed myself and backed my instincts.”
Iyer told host broadcaster Star Sports after the match.
On his vital stand with Ashwin, Iyer said the off-spinner batted really positively and that helped him at the other end take the game deep into the innings.
He revealed the conversation was such that Ashwin once set told him he will go after certain bowlers so that Iyer can retain his sedate ways. It was Ashwin who ended the proceedings with a final-over six against Krunal Pandya.
Iyer, who wasn’t retained as DC skipper for the UAE leg despite recovering from his shoulder injury, has not let that affect his batting in the middle.
The India and Mumbai right-hander has made 124 runs from his four innings of IPL 2021 at an average of 62.00 and strike-rate of 111.71.
