On a day-one pitch that behaved like a crumbling fifth-day track, Shreyas Iyer said that defence was not an option.
“On this wicket, whoever defended the ball, were nicking,” he said. “There was variable bounce and you can’t be negative. The wicket was not that great and my mindset was to come up with a positive batting display.”
For this, Shreyas routinely stepped out and played on the front foot, something his colleagues failed to do.
“My plan was obviously to cut down the spin. When you step out, you also play with the mind of the bowler and spoil his line and length.”
Years of playing domestic cricket helped, Shreyas opined.
“These kinds of wickets remind me of those [pitches]. I followed the thought process I would in the Ranji Trophy. You can't plan on such wickets and you need to have a really good day. You need to think that you will not get out.
“It is disappointing to miss out on a hundred, but the team got to a fighting total. So, I have no regrets. Actually that 50 was like a century. That’s why I celebrated like that,” Shreyas added.
A must-win ICC World Test Championship match on such a pitch was tough, Shreyas felt, but added that he was up for the challenge.
“From a championship point of view, we want to win every game and that cannot be achieved if you are put on such challenging wickets. But it’s really fun to explore such wickets and perform at the highest level.”
