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Fans praised Team India middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer after his magnificent half-century in the Champions Trophy 2025 match against Pakistan on Sunday, February 23. The Indian team went on to win the game comfortably by six wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan batted first in the contest after winning the toss and notched up 228 runs in 49.4 overs. Saud Shakeel (62), Mohammad Rizwan (46), and Khushdil Shah (38) chipped in with contributions while the rest of the batters failed to get going for the Men in Green.
India then lost Rohit Sharma in the fifth over with just 31 runs on the scoreboard. Shubman Gill (46) added 69 runs with Virat Kohli for the second wicket before Abrar Ahmed cleaned him up to give Pakistan their second breakthrough. Shreyas Iyer walked to the crease at this juncture and stitched a 114-run stand with Virat Kohli to take the team near the target. He hit one six and five fours en route to 56 (67) before perishing in the 39th over with India on the brink of a victory.
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Fans showered praise on Shreyas Iyer for playing a mature knock in a high-pressure game in a winning cause. Here are some of the fan reactions to Iyer's knock on X (formerly known as Twitter):
"Shreyas Iyer one day ka best batsman itna hype nhi milta hai jitna vo deserve karta hai, Spin aur fast dono bowling ko effortlessly marta hai.. The most Underrated batsman" a fan wrote.
"Shreyas Iyer doesn't get the hype and appreciation he deserves," a fan wrote.
"Some people says he never performs in collapse situation, but Shreyas Iyer is the one who decide it will be a collapse or easy chase If he would have been got out earlier today as well then I am sure india would have lost but because of him we chased easily without any pressure," a fan wrote.
"If Shreyas is not made the ODI Captain after Rohit Sharma, it will be very unfair for HIM," a fan wrote.
"The consistency Shreyas Iyer has shown in ODI cricket is just incredible. Just too good," a fan wrote.
"We knew it would get slightly better to bat under lights"- India captain Rohit Sharma after win vs Pakistan in 2025 Champions Trophy
At the post-match presentation, India skipper Rohit Sharma reflected on the win against Pakistan, saying:
"The way we started with the ball was superb to restrict them to that kind of score. We knew it would get slightly better to bat under lights. Gets slower as well but we wanted to back the experience in our lineup to go out there and get those runs. Credit goes to guys like Axar, Kuldeep and Jadeja in the middle there.."
On Virat Kohli and other batters finishing the chase comfortably, Sharma added:
"He loves representing the country. He wants to be out there playing for the team, doing what he does the best which is to go out there and do what he did today. Over the years we've seen it with him. It was good for him to be out there in the middle, finish the game off. Couple of crucial knocks from the others too there."
The Men in Blue will return to the field on March 2, when they will square off against New Zealand in their final group match in Dubai.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025, ICC Champions Trophy India Schedule, India Squad ICC Champions Trophy, ICC Champions Trophy Schedule
