New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Cheteshwar Pujara has credited Shreyas Iyer’s tactical awareness and India’s disciplined bowling for defending 223 in the third T20I in Indore, while identifying Abhishek Sharma’s rapid rise to 2,000 T20I runs as a sign of his growing stature in the shortest format.
Reflecting on India’s response after their defeat in Ranchi, the former India batter highlighted the importance of leadership under pressure and the young opener’s evolving understanding of T20 batting.
India’s defence of the total in Indore offered a demonstration of how a substantial first-innings score can be protected through planning and execution. For Pujara, the turnaround was not simply about the bowlers delivering with the ball, but also about the captain recognising what had gone wrong in the previous match and responding with a clear strategy.
“I think India did a great job because they needed to come up with a good game plan after getting defeated in Ranchi. As captain, Shreyas Iyer corrected those mistakes and was talking to his bowlers as to how to bowl and what strategy they could use to defend the total. The execution by the bowlers was spot-on. A captain always looks good when his players do their job for the team. But yes, Shreyas showed good maturity, and so did the Indian bowlers,” Pujara told JioStar.
The former batter also turned his attention to Abhishek Sharma, whose arrival at the 2,000-run mark in T20 internationals has added another milestone to his growing career. Pujara believes the speed with which the left-hander has reached that figure underlines his impact, drawing a comparison with one of the most recognisable names in the history of the format.
“Nobody thought that he would cross such a big milestone so quickly. But the way Abhishek has performed, I think he is probably one of the best T20 players the Indian team has had so far. His name will be remembered for a long time. When we talk about the T20 format, we immediately think of Chris Gayle from the West Indies.
“Abhishek has that kind of ability. The way he showed maturity, especially in Indore, by taking a little time, even though five-six balls is a lot of time for him, shows that he is understanding his game a little better, recognising the opposition’s strengths, and batting accordingly. Now, in Hyderabad, he has played a lot on that ground, and that experience and familiarity matter, even in T20s,” he stated.
–IANS
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