Hyderabad: Team India top order batsman Shreyas Iyer revealed that the team is confident of bouncing back in the final ODI, scheduled to be held on Wednesday, and win the match to avoid a clean sweep.
Having lost the first two ODIs, the captain of Delhi Capitals said they have done well in batting but the bowling was not up to the mark. “We are going to take the two losses positively. We played really good cricket in terms of batting. The bowling was not up to the mark. They are world class bowlers and with the mind set they have, they will come back stronger. We know their work ethics. They are practising with certain plans and we are determined to win the next game and not let it be a clean sweep.”
He also revealed that they failed to adapt to the conditions quickly and the change of format. “The quarantine was really tough for us. Staying in the room for 14 days and going out only for practicing. But we are professionals and we are lucky we are getting the game to play. We played in Dubai and came here. There was very little bounce in UAE and the practice wickets we got here are completely different from the match wickets. You have to adjust as quickly as possible irrespective of the conditions in the ground. So that has been challenging,” he added.
Speaking about his dismissal in the first ODI where he failed to fend off a bouncer, he said, it was not the technique that is required to change in facing short balls but the mind set. “I feel that it is just the mind set you need to adjust. I am playing on these Australian wickets for the first time. We know the wickets are bouncy and they will bowl to you in your body area. It is just the mind set and how you play. It is important to stand up right and play the shots. As I said we need to get set and then take on bowlers. It is important to be aggressive as well,” he added.
Captain Virat Kohli, however, struggled to find part-timers when his key bowlers were going for runs in the first ODI. He handed the ball to Mayank Agarwal and Hardik Pandya in the second ODI to get in some overs. When asked about the task of batsmen bowling a few overs, he said, “We had this optional practice today and a few batsmen also practiced. We are working on a routine on our bowling as well. It is the transition phase from T20 to ODIs which is challenging. Bowling 10 overs from four (in T20) will take some time. There are many more matches coming and they will come back stronger and with a positive frame of mind.”
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