Shreyas Iyer Stars For Mumbai After Much 'Domestic Cricket' Criticism. KKR Coach Says, "When It Mattered..."

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit was all praise for Shreyas Iyer after the star batter scored 95 for Mumbai in the second innings of the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha. Iyer, who dismissed for just seven in the first innings, smashed 10 fours and three sixes during his whirlwind knock. Pandit, who will join hands with Iyer during IPL 2024, hailed the KKR skipper for his fearlessness and compared his knock to the World Cup semi-final century.

"It was an important innings for Shreyas and he delivered it when it mattered. Although in a different format, his innings resembled the one in the World Cup semifinal here at the Wankhede against New Zealand (he had scored 105 off 70 deliveries then). He is playing good cricket and it was bad luck that he could not score big runs in the last few games," Pandit told Cricbuzz.

"The fact that he smashed 10 boundaries and three sixes is an indication that he is playing fearlessly and is not changing his style of play. The innings will stand him in good stead," he added.

For the unversed, Iyer had smashed 105 off just 70 balls in the ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, also at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

After the Ranji Trophy final, Iyer will associate with Chandrakant Pandit at KKR, having missed the last season of IPL due to an injury.

Pandit also hailed Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane for his knock in the second innings, saying that the veteran played the best knock for his side.

"I liked his (Musheer) approach and his partnership with Iyer may have made things difficult for Vidrabha. But the best knock I think came from Ajinkya (73). He scored those runs when Umesh Yadav was in the midst of a good spell. Now with so many runs on the board, it will be very difficult for Vidarbha," he concluded.

Topics mentioned in this article

MUM Kolkata Knight Riders Shreyas Iyer Ajinkya Rahane Ranji Trophy Cricket