New Delhi, Feb 24 India middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer believes the side could have got a much more convincing win over Pakistan in the high-stakes 2025 Champions Trophy clash if they had closed the chase of 242 a bit earlier.
At the sell-out Dubai International Stadium, the talismanic Virat Kohli struck an unbeaten 100 – his 51st century in the format - and lead India to a six-wicket win over Pakistan. The comprehensive victory also strengthens India’s chances of entering the semi-finals by completing the chase with 45 balls to spare.
“I think we could have won a bit earlier, could have been a convincing win based on how the wicket was playing. It was initially coming on pretty well with the new ball and after that it was difficult to score runs when the ball got a bit old. But if we would have played more aggressively, we would have won a bit earlier, I felt,” said Iyer, who hit 56 off 67 balls, after the match ended.
Iyer was also involved in a crucial 114-run stand with Kohli, though at one point, it appeared he was struggling to get going on the slow pitch, as seen from him being at 17 off 34 balls at one point. He cited that Pakistan wrist-spinner Abrar Ahmed was bowling a tight spell, which made it tough for him to break free initially.
"I think Abrar bowled brilliantly. It was important and crucial for me to play out that spell and rotate the strike at the same time. It took some time, and then once my eyes were set, I thought that sweep and reverse sweep would have been a great option to put them on the back foot.
"I think that worked pretty well for me. It wasn't easy to take charge against Abrar. In that particular phase, it was important to take singles as much as possible and take the team till the end. Once we reach 30 or 40 runs, it is easy to charge on from there," he added.
So how did Iyer manage to go past this trouble? His answer lay in being patient and assessing how the pitch was behaving. "As we know, even in the previous game we played over here, the wicket is a bit slow. It’s spinner-friendly, of course. The amalgamation of all their bowlers and the experience they possess bring a lot of clarity to their bowling.
"It's important to attack, but it's not easy to go in and straightaway start smashing the ball. You need to see the pace of the wicket, and how it's coming on to the bat. If you show that intent every ball, it's difficult for a batsman, to be honest. It's better to take some time, see how it's coming to you, and let the ball do the talking," he said.
Iyer further lavished rich praise on Kohli and revealed how the veteran went about preparing for leading India to victory in the big clash. “I remember yesterday he had come almost an hour before us for the practice session. He played a few balls … he looked as crisp as he looks all the time. It's just the mindset that he possesses over the years. He's always hungry for runs. So, I never feel that he's struggling for runs, to be honest.
“I think everyone played a crucial role in this victory. Any victory against Pakistan is sweet because it's always competitive, and it's a challenge, and there's a lot of external pressure. It was a lot of fun. It was my third game against Pakistan. It was fun," he concluded.
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