India batter Shreyas Iyer on Thursday said that returning to an upright batting stance has helped him regain confidence and consistency, allowing him to adapt better to varied conditions at home and overseas.
Speaking after India’s two-wicket loss to Australia in the second ODI, Iyer said he had been working on his technique over the past year and decided to revert to the more upright stance that he used in his formative years.
“The technique I’ve got lately is not something that I’ve changed suddenly. Since last year, I wanted to have an upright stance, especially on wickets where the bounce is a little more than expected,” Iyer, who made 61 off 77 balls, said at the post-match press conference.
“I worked with my coach on it, and it has been suiting me quite well. I grew up playing with that kind of stance, so I just thought of going back to my old method and seeing how it works out,” he added.
Iyer said being able to tweak his stance according to the conditions has become an important part of his game.
“Even in Mumbai, when we play on red-soil wickets with extra bounce, an upright stance helps. You have to keep chopping and changing because every surface is different. I’ve changed my stance several times now, and I feel I can adapt anywhere at the moment,” he said.
Iyer, who was involved in a crucial 118-run partnership with Rohit Sharma, said their focus was on building momentum on a challenging surface against a disciplined Australian attack.
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“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 have an attacking approach but also rotate strike as much as possible. It was about ensuring we reached a total from where we could put pressure on the bowlers later,” Iyer said.
Reflecting on the match, the Mumbai batter admitted that batting became easier later in the day but credited the Australians for handling the chase effectively.
“I was fielding on the far end, so I couldn’t exactly tell when the wicket changed. But credit where it’s due — they batted superbly. They rotated strike well, and Cooper (Connolly), especially being a youngster, showed a lot of maturity to finish off the game,” he said.
On the challenges of moving between formats and balancing domestic and international assignments, Iyer said it was all about maintaining rhythm and intensity.
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“I don’t see much of a challenge. It’s about adapting to the conditions and being match-prepared. Domestic cricket gives you that confidence, and recently, the India A series also gave me a good boost before coming here,” he said.
The 30-year-old admitted that the team was disappointed after losing the series but praised Australian bowlers for exploiting the conditions well.
“It definitely hurts. The first game wasn’t convincing because rain played an important role and conditions favoured them. But this match was a do-or-die one for us, and we wanted to put our best foot forward. Losing early wickets made it difficult, and the Australian bowlers took full advantage,” he said.
Reflecting on his journey since the Nagpur ODI against England earlier this year, Iyer said strong domestic performances had given him confidence to deal with international challenges.
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“I came from a domestic season where my average was around 300. When you have runs behind you, you walk into international cricket with confidence. Some things are in your control, some are not. My focus is to perform every time I step on the ground,” he said.
Iyer also said he has become more conscious about workload management and maintaining intensity across formats.
“When I field for long hours in red-ball cricket, I’ve realised my intensity tends to drop. At the international level, that can make a difference. In ODIs, you have rest days and time to recover, so it’s easier to manage. Based on that, I’ve planned my approach,” he added.
