Margin for error on this wicket is very minor – Shreyas Iyer after India’s loss against West Indies

Team India went down fighting in Jharkhand in what was a mind-boggling high-scoring battle. The Men in Blue posted 249/5, batting first.

After Sanju Samson got them a solid start, smashing 82 off 41, belligerent cameos from Shreyas Iyer (40), Tilak Varma (44*) and Ishan Kishan (43). However, Shai Hope’s unbeaten century left Indian bowlers rattled as West Indies restored parity.

Talking at the post-match presentation, Shreyas Iyer opened up on the target set up by the Indian batters and was it a significant enough number on the board or not.

Iyer also lauded the performances from Samson and Mayank Yadav who were great in their individual departments.

Highlighting what could have been a good total on the board, Iyer said, “Honestly speaking, you cannot put a number to it, because when the dew factor comes in, it plays a massive role. And even 249 was chased in, like, with two overs to spare. So you cannot give a number, or probably anticipate that, okay, this is the number we would be trying to score.”

Reflecting on if India needed another bowler, Iyer added, “The margin for error on this wicket is very minor, and any delivery if you miss to execute it, it was going onto the stands, and you could see how exceptional they were batting. So, a few missed chances here and there, but that's part and parcel of the game. But credit where it's due, they batted amazing, and yeah, kudos to them.”

Lauding the individual performances of Samson and Mayank, Iyer stated, “Both were phenomenal in their departments, and this is what we look for every now and then from Sanju and Abhishek. The way they've been performing consistently throughout, taking that responsibility and setting the pace for us- exceptional performances by them, and also Mayank. Those three crucial wickets, it was something that stabilized the rhythm for us up ahead, but then after that, the partnership came in, and the momentum shifted towards them.”