Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers responded to Team India’s middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer‘s comments about adopting a positive approach for the upcoming home Test series against England. De Villiers expressed his view that playing attacking cricket might not be the correct mindset for red-ball cricket.
India would be aiming to continue their dominance in their home conditions against the mighty deadly duo of Ben Stokes & Brendon McCullum. Skipper Ben Stokes would be tested as the pitches would be quite spin friendly and ‘Bazball’ perhaps might not work work in Indian conditions.
I absolutely love watching Shreyas Iyer play- AB de Villiers
Shreyas Iyer spoke about his intent in the longer format following his run-a-ball 48 in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai against Andhra. Speaking regarding the same in a video on YouTube, AB de Villiers said,
“I absolutely love watching this guy play. He is geared to play in those England Test matches with a positive mindset. I don’t think there is a lot correct in the statement that you’re just going to play positive no matter what situation you are confronted with. That’s not how Test cricket works. But he’ll figure it out himself,”
In the recent two-match Test series against South Africa, Shreyas Iyer, the middle-order batter for Team India, had a lackluster performance, accumulating only 41 runs across four innings. Despite scoring a half-century in the last T20I game he played, Iyer was dropped from the India squad for the T20I series at home against Afghanistan.
You need to be able to adapt to certain situations and conditions– AB de Villiers
Speaking in the same video, AB de Villiers emphasized the importance of adapting to the game situation. The former South African said it is crucial for batters in Test cricket to be versatile and adjust their playing style based on the conditions and circumstances of the match.
AB de Villiers expressed his belief that with more experience in Test cricket, Shreyas Iyer will come to realize the need for adaptability and a multi-dimensional approach. The 39-year-old said,
“I think mentally, you need to think in a positive manner. I’m going to come out here today. I’m going to play the match-winning innings. But Test cricket just doesn’t allow you to bat positively for a whole day. That’s the beauty about the game, you need to be able to adapt to certain situations and conditions. Sometimes you need to earn the right to play more attacking, and that’s what Shreyas will certainly find out as he gets a bit more experience in Test cricket,”
According to several reports, Shreyas Iyer might be warming the bench in the Test series against England and KL Rahul might play as a specialist batter with KS Bharat probably donning the wicketkeeper gloves.
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