Indian batter Shreyas Iyer had a pretty good outing on his comeback into the ODI team against West Indies on July 22. He notched up a half-century and picked up two crucial catches in the deep to help his side win the first match of the three-match series.
The 27-year-old was under some pressure due to his failure against short-pitched bowling of late. However, he once again showed why ODI is perhaps his best format.
Shreyas Iyer also had a busy day on the field, and naturally, he was bound to have a bit of banter with the crowd. In a video posted by BCCI on their official website after the match, the 27-year-old was seen talking to pacer Mohammad Siraj about the same.
Explaining the reason for his dance moves while fielding in the deep, Shreyas Iyer told Siraj:
"The crowd was teasing me, saying "drop a catch". So when I caught one, I did a bit of a dance to give it back to them (laughs)."
Mohammad Siraj speaks to Shreyas Iyer on his thrilling last over
Mohammad Siraj's excellent death bowling was one of the main reasons why India ended up winning by three runs. The 28-year-old was spot on with his yorkers and even the set batters were unable to get under it. On this, Siraj said:
"I was looking to execute my yorkers and since the ball was reversing, was looking to stick to my plan. My heart was beating faster because representing your country is a special moment."
With eight runs needed off two balls, Siraj sprayed a delivery down the leg side. Sanju Samson's full-length dive helped him get a glove on it, or else the ball was heading to the boundary for five wides.
While this could have unsettled Siraj under pressure, he explained to Iyer how he backed his basic plan and added:
"I bowled my first four balls really well so I was backing myself to keep on executing that."
The two teams will face off against each other next on Sunday, July 24 at the Port of Spain once again. India will look to drive home their advantage and take an unassailable 2-0 lead.
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