Shreyas Iyer’s strong statement on his ‘intent’: A message to Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma

Looking to make a comeback in the Indian team line-up, mid-order batter Shreyas Iyer produced a fine counter-attack in the second innings of the Duleep Trophy match between India C and India D. After being dismissed for just 9 runs in the first innings, Iyer displayed great intent to register a half-century. While the man considered the Duleep Trophy as an audition for the upcoming India vs Bangladesh Test series, Shreyas gave a loud and clear message about the game he wants to play.

Iyer’s 54 in 44 balls in the second innings came in a tricky phase when the Indian team C bowlers were on top. Instead of opting for a defensive approach, the Indian team D batter showed a counter-attacking intent and helped his team put up 236 runs on the board.

Although India C managed to hit the target and win the match, Iyer is proud of the way he batted.

“I had to show intent because their bowlers were bowling well, in the right areas and the ball was flowing as well. I just wanted to attack and see if we could get a decent total on board. When the ball got old, it stopped a little bit. I wanted to capitalise on my intent but I would take that fifty any time,” Iyer said after the end of the match.

With Bangladesh’s Test series taking place in India, the hosts might need Iyer’s skills for a similar approach in the 2-match assignment.

“The pitch didn’t offer much, there was no spin for the bowlers. Saransh bowled in good areas. There were a few areas on the pitch created by the fast bowlers where the ball was spinning from outside the off stump, apart from that it was pretty dead. Hopefully we learn from it and move on,” Iyer added.

With a smashing half-century and comments to follow, Iyer seems to have sent a loud and clear message to India captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir.