Former Indian legendary spinner Anil Kumble has praised the batter Shreyas Iyer after his memorable hundred against the Netherlands in India’s last match in the league stage of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
The batter did not start well in the tournament and he faced a lot of criticism at the start of the tournament. However, he made a comeback in the match against Sri Lanka played at Wankhede. In the match against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Iyer contributed significantly with 77 runs, forming a crucial partnership with Virat Kohli.
Iyer’s exceptional form continued in India’s final league game against the Netherlands, where he scored an unbeaten 128 runs off 94 deliveries.
Former Indian leg spinner Anil Kumble has said that Shreyas Iyer is mentally strong and it is not very easy to make a comeback after being out from the team for a long time.
“He (Shreyas Iyer) has played some match-winning knocks under pressure even at the Test level. It goes to show his temperament and his ability to soak up pressure,” Kumble was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“Even before the match against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede, there were talks that if Shreyas does not score, what happens when Hardik (Pandya) comes back? But he got an 80 there and followed it up with a 70 and then a hundred. It shows that he is mentally strong as it is not easy to come back from a long layoff straight into the World Cup,” he added.
Shreyas Iyer led the charge with an unbeaten 128 runs off 94 balls. It was the maiden hundred for Shreyas Iyer in the ODI World Cup format. KL Rahul scored an impressive 102 off 64 deliveries. In response, the Dutch team was bowled out for 250.