'Shreyas Iyer was in total control' - Aakash Chopra praises India batter post his brilliant century in Second ODI against Australia

Former India opener Aakash Chopra showered praise on Shreyas Iyer following his stunning knock in the second ODI against Australia at the Holkar Stadium, in Indore, on September 24. The middle-order batter staged an outstanding comeback, scoring 105 off 90 deliveries. As a result, India won the match by 99 runs using the Duckworth Louis Stern (DLS) method and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series.

Chopra stated that Shreyas was under pressure but looked in command during the match. Courtesy of his match-winning knock he also emerged as the Player of the Match. Besides, he also lauded him for his magnificent drives and playing the crafty shots over the cover region against the Australian bowlers.

“He was under pressure. But the team was convinced that Shreyas is our main player and we are going to stick with him. The way he hit a shot over covers at the start and then played those drives, he was brilliant. He was in total control,” said Chopra while speaking on his YouTube channel.

The 46-year-old  went on to say that Shreyas batted very well and did not give any chances to the opposition to get him out. Notably, Shreyas also formed a 200-run stand with opener Shubman Gill, who also scored a century.

“It was not like there were edges or catches were being dropped. There was nothing of that sort. He batted very well. For some time at the start, it seemed like Shreyas Iyer was Shubman Gill and Shubman Gill is Shreyas Iyer, who is coming back from injury,” he added.

I am not going to call him Suryakumar Yadav, but Sixer Kumar Yadav: Chopra

Aakash Chopra further praised Suryakumar Yadav's batting in the second ODI. He described the batter as 'Sixer Kumar Yadav' and validated BCCI’s decision to pick him for the much-awaited ICC Cricket World Cup which begins on October 5. Notably, the 33-year-old hit 72 off 37 balls, smashing six boundaries and as many maximums.

“I am not going to call him Suryakumar Yadav, but Sixer Kumar Yadav. He hits so many sixes. Everyone was saying, go Green. He said we need to go Green near the boundary line. It was an amazing innings. He is a 360-degree player and has validated the management’s decision to back him for the World Cup. This is something to admire,” Chopra concluded.