Former Indian batter Ambati Rayudu has defended Shreyas Iyer after the Indian vice-captain was dismissed on a short ball in the second ODI against New Zealand at Hnry Stadium, Wellington on Saturday.
Iyer top-scored with 30 runs off 46 balls for the visitors but was cramped for room while facing Kyle Jamieson, who was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers. The right-hander could not handle the extra bounce and was caught behind by Tom Latham.
Iyer has had his issues with the short ball in the past and was also dismissed in the series opener on a short delivery.
“I don’t think you should read too much into Shreyas Iyer’s dismissal because it was a very tough ball for many batters. A short ball that is seaming in when he was actually trying to leave the ball, but it followed him. He could not get into a good position to leave the ball, and it can happen to anybody. I think that Shreyas Iyer played a very important knock, given the conditions. His 30 was very valuable in us crossing the line,” Ambati Rayudu said on Cricbuzz.
On the other hand, former Indian spinner Murali Kartik reckons the pitch played a role in Iyer’s dismissal as there was a lot of seam movement.
“I think it was just a difficult pitch. Sometimes when you are in a tricky run chase, you know that you want to bide your time. At the end of the day, you can make up for it. It is important to know what you are doing in between those expensive overs, are you at least turning the strike over? Yes, there were some difficult deliveries. Axar got a brute first up. There were times when Shreyas Iyer got tangled. So over here, maybe one player could have taken it upon himself to throw the bowlers off, but it was a tough one,” Murali Kartik added.
The third ODI between India and New Zealand will be played at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on Tuesday.
