"Need to absorb pressure" - Robin Uthappa's suggestion to Shreyas Iyer ahead of IND vs AFG 2023 World Cup match
Robin Uthappa recently pointed out how Team India's middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer erred in his shot selection during their 2023 World Cup opener against Australia in Chennai.
Iyer walked out to bat after Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan went back without troubling the scores. However, he failed to bail his team out of trouble, bagging a duck. The right-handed batter perished on the third ball he faced while playing an ambitious drive.
Uthappa reckoned that Iyer should look to absorb pressure during such situations to succeed in the 50-over format.
"Shreyas Iyer can improve on his shot selection, especially when the team is under pressure. I didn't expect him to play such a shot when India were 2/2. He went for a pressure release shot, but you need to absorb pressure at times. It would have been understandable if he did that in a T20 match," Robin Uthappa said in his latest YouTube video.
Uthappa also urged the team management to persist with Virat Kohli at No. 3 instead of promoting Shreyas Iyer in the upcoming fixture against Afghanistan in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11.
"Will be a high-scoring game" - Robin Uthappa's prediction for India's 2023 World Cup tie vs Afghanistan
Robin Uthappa highlighted how the Indian bowlers came up with an inspired performance in their first match of the ICC event, bundling out Australia for 199.
He, however, suggested that their game against Afghanistan could prove to be a high-scoring encounter, considering the conditions. He added (3:58):
"India's bowling has been clinical so far. They bowled exceptionally well. The spinners have been brilliant, and the fielding has also been quite good. Compared to the last game, I feel a lot more runs will be scored here on this pitch. It is a small ground with a quick outfield. So, I feel this will be a high-scoring game, and the batters are going to have a lot of fun."
It is worth mentioning that the 2023 World Cup contest between South Africa and Sri Lanka at this venue was a run-fest. The Proteas registered an imposing 428-run total up front and Sri Lanka managed 326 in response.