In the 2023 World Cup, India became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals after defeating Sri Lanka by 302 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Thursday. While the fast bowlers of Team India ripped through Sri Lanka's batting and bowled them out for just 55 runs, star batter Shreyas Iyer's return to form was the highlight of the dominant win for India. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was impressed with the intent shown by the batter and said he wasn't concerned about himself during the match.
Gavaskar said, "I think Nasser mentioned earlier that he wasn't playing for his place in the team. He was looking to get the scoreboard ticking; he was looking to play the big shots. So he really wasn't concerned about himself, you know? Yes, there were question marks about his place on the team, but he just put them to rest because of the kind of number he bats at. He will get to 80 quickly.”
He further added that "he just needs to, maybe, at some stage at the start. Maybe just be a little careful about his short selection. Otherwise, you know that's the reason why he's at number four and not Rahul. Rahul is five. Rahul, in case you lose two or three wickets, you have somebody who's opened the batting to handle the new ball. But here, I think today, you know, he set to rest all doubts about his batting.”