Former India batter Aakash Chopra praised Shreyas Iyer for his half-century and the batting adjustments he made in the second ODI of the three-match series against Australia. The match took place on Thursday, October 23, at the Adelaide Oval.
Coming in at No. 4 when India were 17/2, Iyer added 118 runs off 136 balls for the third wicket alongside Rohit Sharma. He finished with 61 runs off 77 balls, including seven fours. Rohit Sharma top-scored with 73 as India posted a total of 264/9 in their 50 overs.
Speaking in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra lauded Iyer’s innings and highlighted the change in his batting stance. He said:
“Shreyas Iyer played very well and built a good partnership. He made a slight adjustment in his batting. Actually, if you notice, earlier in Perth he used to go back and across, but here he was moving slightly forward, showing a bit of the stumps. What he did this time was try to position himself just over the middle stump again, and I thought that was a deliberate change he tried to make.
He also batted well against fast bowling because India were 17/2 at one stage. After that, he naturally played spin very well. He played well.”
However, India couldn’t defend their total, with Australia winning by two wickets and 22 balls to spare. The 48-year-old commentator noted that while fielding and bowling could have been improved, it was India’s batting performance that was most disappointing.
He added:
“In the end, the catching could have been a little better. The bowling could have been slightly better as well. We could have won, but who do you blame more? That is a big question, and I would say batting. In bowling, you can point out flaws, like something went wrong in bowling, but in batting, you cannot lose eight wickets in 45 overs. At one stage, you were 17/2. If eight wickets fall in 45 overs, then you are searching for answers that maybe weren’t available to you.”
With this victory, the hosts secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, having already won the first ODI in Perth by seven wickets.
### “There Was No Confidence in Batting” – Aakash Chopra Highlights India’s Struggles
In the same video, Aakash Chopra emphasized that batting has been India’s major weakness in the series. This has prevented the team from playing Kuldeep Yadav while maintaining depth in the batting lineup until number eight.
Chopra said:
“In my opinion, batting is the issue. Because if your batting isn’t good, then your composition and combination also change. You don’t get the confidence to drop a batter and play an extra bowler at number eight, because there is a lot of noise about Kuldeep, Kuldeep, Kuldeep. And I do agree, where Zampa takes four, Kuldeep could have taken three, controlling the middle overs and taking wickets.”
He continued:
“But for all that to happen, there must be confidence in batting. There was no confidence in batting. This is perhaps a lesson for everyone — you cannot walk into a series really cold. As a team, you also have to think about this when organizing these small tours, because before them you don’t get proper preparation time.
We were only talking about two people, Rohit and Kohli. But you should also think about others, like Shreyas Iyer who is just coming in. These are not the conditions you are used to practicing in, so the task becomes a bit difficult. Eventually, we fail.”
The team is set to return for the final game of the series in Sydney on Saturday, October 25.
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**About the author**
Dev Sharma is a cricket journalist at Sportskeeda with over three years of experience. He holds a Bachelor’s degree, which has equipped him with a strong understanding of journalism ethics and effective interviewing techniques, both of which he applies in his writing. Dev researches and verifies facts from multiple sources and maintains impartial viewpoints.
He has had the privilege of interviewing renowned sports journalist Vijay Lokapally. Dev’s passion for cricket stems from its ability to keep spectators on the edge of their seats and foster a sense of community and shared passion. He is a staunch supporter of the Indian cricket team, with Yuvraj Singh as his favorite cricketer—especially after the iconic six sixes hit in an over in 2007. He also admires Rohit Sharma’s leadership, both with the Mumbai Indians and Team India.
When not working, Dev enjoys watching football or catching up on sleep.
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