Shreyas Iyer looked very good in the ongoing first ODI against South Africa. The batsman played some big shots at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg and made sure to continue his dream run in the 50-over format.
Shreyas Iyer came in to bat after India lost Ruturaj Gaikwad (5) early. He opened his account with a great fastball. But after that, for a short period of time, things were not easy for him as the South African bowlers tested him with brutal bowling.
The Proteas players tested him with short balls and it’s fair to say he looked a little uncomfortable too. That was quite evident during the last ball of the ninth when he was pressured by Nandre Burger’s pace.
The left-arm pacer bowled a short ball which Shreyas Iyer tried to pull. The batsman attacked the ball hard and lost his bat in the process. The bat shot towards square leg and the ball went over mid-on. He also made two runs.
Here is the video:
pic.twitter.com/ciI3rH7EUe
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But after that, Shreyas Iyer seemed in a completely different mood. He made no mistakes, timed the ball perfectly and made some accurate shots. He took India close to the target and made sure to take the game away from the opposition.
Shreyas Iyer scored a vital half-century but failed to take his team home as he passed away just a few runs short of the target. The batsman scored 52 runs off 45 balls. He batted with a strike rate of over 115 and hit 6 fours and 1 six in his innings.
Apart from him, Sai Sudharsan scored a magnificent half-century on debut and remained unbeaten to take his team home. He scored 55 runs as India completed a comfortable 8-wicket win to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
IND vs SA: Shreyas Iyer to leave ODI team after first ODI against South Africa
Shreyas Iyer will now not be seen in action in the ODI series against South Africa. He will be released from the team as he will join the Test team to prepare for the two-match Test series. He was part of the team for the T20I series but did not feature in any of the games.
This was because he had to manage his workload ahead of the longer format of the game. The batsman is expected to play a very important role for his team in the series as he will hold the key for his team in the middle order.
Shreyas Iyer has played a vital role for his team in every Test he has conducted. However, he missed some crucial matches due to the back injury he suffered. The batsman is expected to bat at number 5 in the upcoming series. It will be a great opportunity for him to showcase his talent in the Tests in overseas conditions. It will be the second time he has played a Test in South Africa.
