India batter Shreyas Iyer said on Thursday that reverting to an upright batting stance has helped him regain confidence and consistency, allowing him to adapt better to varied conditions both at home and overseas. Speaking after India’s two-wicket loss to Australia in the second ODI, Iyer revealed he had been working on his technique over the past year and decided to return to the stance he used during his formative years.
“The technique I’ve got lately is not something I’ve changed suddenly. Since last year, I wanted to have an upright stance, especially on wickets where the bounce is more than expected,” Iyer, who scored 61 off 77 balls, said. “I worked with my coach on it, and it has been suiting me quite well. I grew up playing with that stance, so I thought of going back to my old method and seeing how it works out.”
Adapting to conditions and building momentum by Shreyas Iyer
Iyer highlighted how tweaking his stance according to conditions has become an important part of his game. “Even in Mumbai, on red-soil wickets with extra bounce, an upright stance helps. You have to keep adjusting because every surface is different. I feel I can adapt anywhere at the moment,” he said.
The Mumbai batter was involved in a crucial 118-run partnership with Rohit Sharma, focusing on building momentum on a challenging surface against a disciplined Australian attack. “Hazlewood was bowling brilliantly. The ball was seaming in and out, and it wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on at the start. We wanted to rotate strike while also being aggressive, ensuring we reached a total from which we could put pressure on the bowlers,” Iyer explained.
Reflecting on the match, he acknowledged Australia’s composure in the chase. “I was fielding at the far end, so I couldn’t tell exactly when the wicket changed, but credit to them — they batted superbly. Cooper Connolly, especially being young, showed maturity to finish the game.”
Iyer also spoke about balancing domestic and international cricket, workload management, and maintaining intensity across formats. “Domestic cricket gives you confidence, and India A series boosted me before coming here. At the international level, intensity matters, and managing rest and recovery is important,” he said. Despite the series loss, he credited the Australian bowlers for exploiting conditions effectively.
