“He has taken India out of trouble quite a few times” – Wasim Jaffer on Shreyas Iyer

Wasim Jaffer hailed Shreyas Iyer for his exceptional knock against Bangladesh in the first Test in Chattogram on Wednesday (December 14).

The right-hander, along with Cheteshwar Pujara (90), bailed India out of trouble on Day 1. For the uninitiated, Iyer scored an unbeaten 82 off 169, including ten fours. He shared a crucial 149-run stand with Pujara, coming in at 112-4, to help India end the day at 278-6.

FIFTY!

@ShreyasIyer15 joins the party with a well made half-century. This is his 4th in Test cricket.

Live - bit.ly/BANvIND-1STTEST #BANvIND https://t.co/yPQcKsdDMX

Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Jaffer said about Iyer:

“In his short space of international career, especially in Tests, he’s played some really wonderful knocks. He has taken India out of trouble quite a few times. So, it has been an impressive knock, without a doubt.”

Jaffer, though, mentioned that Iyer was lucky to survive twice during his innings, saying:

“He was, obviously, lucky that bails didn’t come off, and Ebadot literally dropped a sitter.”

It’s worth mentioning that Iyer has scored 500+ runs in six Tests, which includes four fifties and a century on debut against New Zealand last year.

“I am really impressed with Shreyas Iyer’s tactics against spin” – Wasim Jaffer

Jaffer also hailed Iyer for coming out on top against the spinners, especially against Taijul Islam, who got rid of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara.

He said:

“I am really impressed with Shreyas Iyer’s tactics against spin. He has got that technique against spinners to come good.”

Stumps on Day 1⃣ of the first #BANvIND Test!

@ShreyasIyer15 remains unbeaten on 8⃣2⃣* as #TeamIndia reach 278/6 at the end of day's play 👌

Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/BANvIND-1STTEST https://t.co/muGIlGUbNE

Jaffer, however, expressed surprise that Bangladesh did not use short balls to test Iyer early on in the innings. It’s worth mentioning that Shreyas Iyer often finds himself in trouble against short-pitched deliveries.

“I am really surprised Bangladesh were not using short-ball tactics against him," said Jaffer. "They could have gone for 5-10 overs of a short burst.”

With Iyer and all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin at the crease, India will aim to add a few more runs to their total before bowling at the hosts.

The visitors will also hope for a decent contribution from Kuldeep Yadav, who has hit a century and six fifties in first-class cricket. The left-arm wrist-spinner has made his Test comeback after 20 months.