“Virat one of the greats, no chance of stealing number 3 spot from him”: Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer, who had smashed a match-winning century, said that he is not in line to take the number three batting position from star batter Virat Kohli

Indore: Following his side’s 99-run win over Australia in the second ODI, Indian batter Shreyas Iyer, who had smashed a match-winning century, said that he is not in line to take the number three batting position from star batter Virat Kohli, calling him one of the greatest.

India outplayed Australia with both bat and ball to clinch the three-match ODI series 2-0 after winning the second match by 99 runs through the Duckworth-Lew-Lew Lewis Stern (DLS) method at the Holkar Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

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“It was a rollercoaster ride (his injury), feeling fantastic. My teammates, friends and family were there for my support. I was seeing the matches on TV, I wanted to be out there and participate in the matches. Grateful to be believing in myself. The pain and niggles kept on coming, but I knew what I was aiming for. Glad that I was able to execute my plans perfectly today. Basically, when I went in to bat, I did not want to complicate things. I wanted to get my eyes set, that’s how I give confidence to myself. I am flexible, and ready to bat any position, whatever my team needs me to do. Virat (Kohli) is one of the greats, there is no chance of stealing that (number 3) spot from him. I just need to keep scoring wherever (at any position) I bat,” said Iyer in the post-match presentation.

Iyer has batted 11 times at number three in ODIs, scoring 642 runs at an average of 58.36 and a strike rate of above 97. He has one century and six fifties at this position, with the best score of 105.