Dreams do come true – Shreyas Iyer on scoring his first T20I century
Shreyas Iyer headlined the Indian charge, smashing the quickest ever T20I century against West Indies as India bagged a convincing win over the visitors in Lucknow. Iyer stayed unbeaten for 102 off 43 balls, clobbering 10 fours and six sixes in a superhuman acceleration towards the end of his knock.
Iyer was pivotal in fuelling India to a successful chase of 172 as they completed the task in just 15 overs with eight wickets to spare. Iyer also knitted together a match-winning partnership of 137 runs with Ishan Kishan for the third wicket as there was no coming back for the visitors.
Iyer bagged the Player of the Match award for his sparkling knock. Talking at the post-match presentation, Iyer talked about the travel fatigue being a factor in the preparations and how he combatted it.
Talking about adapting to the wicket, Iyer said, “Not really. After that exhausting travel, I didn't realize where I was, to be honest. I think every day I just need to wake up like this. But yeah, I adapted quickly to the wicket, to the conditions, and I think bowling first helped us a lot.”
Reflecting on how he braved the jetlag, Iyer stated, “We just didn't look at it as an excuse. We wanted to come and play as any other cricketer would, and yeah, we saw the excitement of India versus West Indies in the ODIs, how amazing it was. But coming into T20s, we know that they are a destructive side. So for us, it's important that we stuck to the process, and that's what we did today. So great efforts by every individual.”
Explaining the feelings on getting his first T20I ton, Iyer said, “Well, definitely exultant. That's the word I would use today, (for the) the performance. And yeah, obviously speaking, I was actually thinking about getting my first century, and it came through. So, you know, I definitely want to say that dreams do come true.”
Shedding light on the win, Iyer added, “Winning definitely tastes different, and that's what we keep talking about in the dressing room. If it's your day, make sure that you win the match for the team. And today it was me. Previous couple of games, it was the batsmen who finished off the game. So yeah, overall I feel it was a comprehensive performance, and I think if we continue with the same mindset, we will be one of the destructive teams in T20s.”
He lauded Dhir’s bowling performance, stating, “Yeah, special player, I must say. Like showing that attitude and approach, wanting to bowl in those crucial moments, he realized that the ball was turning, and then he capitalized on it. So commendable performance by him, and I love his attitude.”
