India batter Shreyas Iyer has claimed that he faces 'no problem' while playing short balls after India's win over Sri Lanka in the World Cup 2023 in Mumbai. Iyer, who has been dismissed on back-of-a-length and short balls a few times in this tournament, played a blistering 56-ball 82-run knock as he helped India score 357 against the Lankan Lions. The star batter agonisingly fell short of his second ODI hundred.
Iyer was troubled by bouncers in the recent matches and has given his wicket in some games too. The middle-order star trained for the short delivery in India's practice sessions during the World Cup. Now he has brushed apart any issues of facing short deliveries, calling the outside world as the one who has created a mahol (feeling) for it.
"When you say it's a problem for me, what do you mean," he started his answer in a post-match press conference when asked about the said short-ball problem and how he will counter it against South Africa. "You know if you try to hit a ball, you're bound to get out anyway whether it's a short ball or overpitched. If I get bowled two or three times, you all would say he can't play an inswinging ball, he can't play if the ball is seaming. You guys have created that mahol (feeling) outside that he can't play a short ball, and I feel that people are picking that up every now and then and it plays on your mind regularly and you keep working on that," Iyer added.
A Mumbai-born Iyer then pointed at how the bounce plays at Wankhede, adding that he has no problem with the ball. "Coming from Mumbai, especially from Wankhede, where the bounce is pretty much even and you know it bounces way more than any other pitches. I've played a majority of my game here. So I know how to tackle it. It's just that when I go to hit some shots you are bound to get out and sometimes it may work sometimes it may not. The majority of the time it hasn't worked for me, maybe that's the reason you think it's a problem for me, but in my mind, I know there's no problem," he added.
The right-handed batter then also claimed that the talk is in the media and he is confident of his game. "There's a lot of talk in the media, which all of you do. But I am confident about my game and myself, and I am serious enough to play certain deliveries. I may get out again and again, but I don't mind, to be honest. As long as I believe in myself and my teammates are confident about me. They support me, and that's all that matters, that's what motivates me," he said.
