India captain Shreyas Iyer produced a captain's knock under pressure, smashing a crucial half-century to guide the visitors to a competitive total in the fourth T20I against England on Thursday.
With India trailing 2-0 in the five-match series and facing the prospect of conceding the contest, Iyer rose to the occasion on a challenging Bristol surface where batting was far from straightforward. The right-hander anchored the innings with a composed yet aggressive fifty, ensuring India recovered after another shaky start.
Shreyas Iyer walked into bat with India reeling at 33/2. The captain then soon saw Abhishek Sharma also depart with the score at 48/3 in the 7th over. Shreyas then joined hands with Mumbai teammate Shivam Dube to resurrect the India innings.
The duo put on a slow 50-partnership to take India past the 100-run mark. Dube's dismissal marked a change in gears for Shreyas, who turned on the accelarator to power India to a decent total.
Shreyas Iyer reached his half-century in 34 balls, smashing a boundary of Adil Rashid. He then took down the leg spinner for a 20-run over to help India over the 150-run mark. Shreyas remained unbeaten on 80 off just 49 balls, as the Men in Blue managed just 158/7 batting first. The Indian captain scored more tha 50% of the team's runs, in what is a must-win game for the visitors.
