Shreyas Iyer has been waiting to arrive on the international stage for a while now. In March, he came very close to getting a Test cap against Australia in Dharamsala. But after a decision taken by the team management late on match-eve, he had to be content being on the bench.
The three T20Is against New Zealand hardly showed what Shreyas is capable of. Not that the world didn't know, or hadn't seen on television while batted in the IPL.
The latter is a blur, where you can hardly remember anything. What really showcases his talent is the runs he's made in the domestic circuit, piling up hundreds in a dominant fashion that the world has seen less off.
Last Sunday in Dharamsala, he came in at No 3, a slot usually occupied by captain Virat Kohli — the one he was supposed to replace in the aforementioned Test — and managed only nine.
At IS Bindra Stadium on Wednesday, when he walked in after the dismissal of Shikhar Dhawan in the 22nd over, Shreyas knew that unlike Dharamsala, there was no need to be extra watchful. The situation was tailor made for the 23-year-old, who likes to attack. This is also the reason Mumbai pushed him up the order in the 2015-16 season, the one after his debut. He followed it up with 1,321 runs at 73.38, and announced his arrival.
Shreyas doesn’t just attack. He likes to hit the ball hard and long. By his own admission, he likes the sound when the bat connects with the ball. It is that thwack which makes him happy. The longer he hears it, the better it is for the team, is what coach Pravin Amre has instilled in him.
It didn’t take Shreyas that long to hear that sound in the second ODI. Though he collected a couple of threes — thanks to the large outfield — a first boundary off the 16th delivery he faced showed he was in the mood to attack.
These might be early years in his career, but for a player who doesn’t move his feet that much, Shreyas relies heavily on hand-eye coordination. Although not as much as Virender Sehwag, he definitely comes close especially while facing pacers.
Whenever Sri Lanka's speedsters dropped it short, he cashed in, with his bat's wind-up starting from third-man. He may have to curb these shots overseas, but the first impression wasn’t bad at all.
“He is a sort of player who likes to take the attack to the opposition. So in that way, he played his own game, going for shots and rotating strike. He really didn’t look like someone who was playing only his second ODI. From the time he's joined, he's looked the part, and has looked comfortable even in the middle. He is just starting, and of course there are spots to be taken, but we don’t want to put any extra pressure on him. It is important that he gets confidence, and that'll only come when he keeps playing. That is what we want," said stand-in captain Rohit Sharma, with whom Shreyas stitched together a match-winning 202-run stand for the second wicket.
Though Shreyas definitely had the chance to go for a hundred, the way he accelerated soon after bringing up his maiden fifty and played second fiddle to his fellow Mumbaikar showed maturity. Even during the phase when Rohit was in top gear, Shreyas was content giving him the strike rather than go for big shots himself.
During his stint under Rahul Dravid with India A, Shreyas has been told to — even challenged, at times — bat at least till the 40th over. He definitely did that on Wednesday. If he were to cement the place in this side, a few more innings like this will do a world of good for both him and the team.
venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com