Sanjay Bangar on Shreyas Iyer’s performance while batting at No. 4:
“He is somebody who is very hardworking in the sense that he has gone through a lot of challenges. He has missed out playing Test cricket because of some injury concerns and knows the value of playing for the nation. And that’s when, once he got that big performance in the World Cup, there was never a question that who is going to be India’s number four. So, he is a player who is always trying to get better and better. As for his approach against the short ball, I am very happy that earlier he used to back off to the left side and hit towards the offside. But now he is happy to develop a method wherein if he feels that he has to be defensive, he is defensive. And when he wants to attempt the shots, there is a high percentage of shots which he has control over.”
Navjot Singh Sidhu on Shreyas Iyer’s batting performance:
“There is one thing that separates him from the rest. In skating over thin ice, your safety is speed. This man gives you that speed. See, you look at the pace at which the scoreboard is moving- Pakistan, after the first 34 or 35 overs were 134 or 140-odd. First 10 overs, India was 60-70. And when this man comes, he puts on his skating shoes and is invariably changing gear from the first gear to the fourth gear or the fifth gear and then he comes back. So, he paces his inning. 67 balls, 56. It’s not 95 balls, scoring a 50. So, there are qualities that Shreyas Iyer has.”
Navjot Singh Sidhu on Shubman Gill’s batting performance:
“Look, see, nothing grows under a banyan tree. And the banyan tree of Indian cricket is basically Rohit Sharma and with him, Virat Kohli. But when you look at Shubman Gill, those two straight drives, even the blistering cover drive, this is like a blitzkrieg where the opposition is taken aback, you know, it’s awe-inspiring. This man has emerged from the shadows of that banyan tree and has come of age. It’s tough to say that. You rate ability in men by what they finish, not by what they attempt. When you actually take your side through after scoring a 100 and don’t throw your wicket, that responsibility is making you better. It is developing you; it’s not ruining you. So, every responsibility that he’s shouldered has made him better. And to me, the best thing is, he’s technically so sound that he makes it look so easy. The shots that he plays over square, you know, the lofted sixes that he hit in the previous game. And today, this is one of those strokes where he wanted to play it straight, but the ball took the edge. Even the edges are flying to the boundary. He’s not failed a single innings in the last 6 or 7 innings. That is how this game is a great leveller. You’re struggling for runs, you’re struggling for 1s and 2s, and then suddenly, when God gives, he gives it all.”
Sanjay Bangar on Shubman Gill’s batting performance:
“Well, I think what Navjot Singh Sidhu said is that he’s got some tremendous skills going his way. Foundations are really, really strong. And add to that the confidence, the confidence of nearly two and a half years of performing in one-day cricket. In one-day cricket, he’s been phenomenal. And the kind of drives that he’s hit. Now look, the straight drive, the on-drive are the shots wherein you cannot actually hit the ball really hard. But here, he was hitting the ball so hard that despite the mid-off and the mid-on fielder being on that 30-yard circle, the ball was going and hitting them. So, that’s the kind of timing he possesses. Clearly, he’s the guy who is going to shoulder the responsibility of the Indian team going forward in years to come.”
