Indian captain Shreyas Iyer expressed surprise over Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi propelling Team India to 100/0 in only five overs in the 199-run chase in the third T20I against New Zealand.
Speaking at the post-match presentation after India’s six-wicket win in Wellington, Iyer showered praise on the Indian opening duo for making mockery of the giant chase. Interestingly, Indian batters took 13.2 overs to chase down the whopping target.
“It was pleasing to the eye. When me and Sanju went out, the ball was swinging and we were like – how did they (the openers) manage it. Getting 100 in five overs, have not seen that before at the international level,” Iyer said after the game.
“(Message to play fearlessly) It is essential. Coming overseas, you will be challenged. Credit where it is due and the way they played is exceptional. Two more to go, I hope they keep continuing this form,” he added.
Further, Iyer revealed his advice to the Indian pacers in the death overs to bowl more yorkers to contain the run-flow, which worked for them to restrict the hosts to below a 200-run total.
“Glad how the lads turned up (with all the travel and jet lag), and it is just mind-boggling. When we were bowling hard lengths or full, we were going for runs. So I told them to go for yorkers. That helped us to keep them under 10 runs per over, and our plan was to keep them under 200,” he concluded.
Delving into the details of the third T20I, New Zealand batted first and posted a whopping total of 198/3 in 20 overs. Daryl Mitchell (89*) was the top scorer in the first innings. In the chase, Abhishek Sharma (113) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (45) sealed the deal in 13.2 overs with six wickets in hand.
