'Start Talking About His Strengths' - Mohammad Kaif Blasts Shreyas Iyer's Critics

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif lavished rich praise on batter Shreyas Iyer for his staggering run in cricket of late. He said that the batter should be appreciated for the kind of performance he put in for the team.

Shreyas Iyer has been nothing short of exceptional for India in the last few months. After a long injury layoff he has made a staggering return and has carried the Indian middle order with his sensational performances with the bat.

Shreyas Iyer was one of the main reasons behind India reaching the final of the ICC World Cup 2023. The batter shined at the biggest platform for his team and scored over 500 runs in the tournament, becoming the first Indian middle-order batter to achieve the feat.

Shreyas Iyer also slammed two centuries in the tournament with one coming against New Zealand in the semi-final. With the kind of performances he put on, he earned a lot of praise. If this was not enough, he produced another match-winning innings in the recently concluded fifth T20I against Australia.

Shreyas Iyer played a good knock for his team as he ended 53 runs off 37 balls. He batted with a strike rate of over 143 and also smashed 5 fours and 2 sixes in his innings. His knock powered India to a total of 160 runs and eventually, the side won the game.

Mohammad Kaif said that it’s high time that people start praising him rather than pointing out his weakness. Taking to his X account, he explained:

“Shreyas Iyer has had a phenomenal run recently and it should be appreciated. High time the world starts talking about his strengths and not keep pointing to his weakness.”

Shreyas Iyer has had a phenomenal run recently and it should be appreciated. High time the world starts talking about his strengths and not keep pointing to his weakness. ⁦@ShreyasIyer15⁩ pic.twitter.com/0Nf6yeVr9T

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) December 4, 2023

It is important to assess the conditions and bat accordingly – Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer opened up about his knock in the fifth T20I against Australia. He said that it was important for him to assess the conditions and once early wickets fell, he calculated what would be the good total. He explained:

“Elated to see everyone chipping in and the way these guys stood up from game one, especially in the batting department is mesmerising to see.

“When I saw 3 wickets falling down, I started to calculate what would be the best score on this wicket and it wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on, and whenever we find ourselves in such a situation it is important to assess the conditions and bat accordingly, today was the right example of how we did it as a team. 160 was the right total, it’s a commendable total especially after losing 4 wickets at the top and bowlers did a good job in restricting them.”

Shreyas Iyer will be next seen in action when India tour South Africa for the T20I, Test, and ODI series.