India middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer thanked everyone “who stood by him” following a match-winning century against Australia in the second ODI.
India outplayed Australia with both bat and ball to clinch the three-match ODI series 2-0 after winning the second match by 99 runs. The target, Australia, was revised through the DLS method at the Holkar Cricket Stadium on Sunday as rain interrupted the match. Iyer thanked all his supporters and believers for standing by him when he was facing an injury and while he was initially struggling to score big on his return from injury.
Shreyas made his return during the Asia Cup after battling injury woes since December last year. Shreyas played some ODI and Test cricket early this year, but the recurrence of his injury ruled him out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.
He played the Asia Cup campaign opener against Pakistan but could score just 14 runs. Following that, he did not feature in the tournament due to a back spasm. The form of KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan also raised questions about his spot in the team.
On his return to cricket against Australia in the first ODI, he could only score three and was run out. In the second ODI, Iyer stormed into form and proved his utility in the middle order with his third ODI century, which saw him showcase strike rotation and attacking intent against spin and pace alike.
