Shreyas Iyer reveals dressing room story during the 2nd ODI against West Indies

The Indian team overpowered the Caribbean side in two back-to-back games as the Shikhar Dhawan-led side clinched the ODI series. While it was a comprehensive team effort in Trinidad, all-rounder Axar Patel stole the show with his match-winning knock.

The first match had also ended in a thriller when Indian clinched a victory on the final delivery as Mohammed Siraj defended 15 runs to help India take a 1-0 lead. The situation off the field was tense in the second game as well. After the victory, Shreyas Iyer revealed how Team India head coach Rahul Dravid was on the edge of his seat as the game neared its end and kept giving out messages to the players on field.

“It was fun, to be honest. We were all sitting together, and Rahul (Dravid) sir was getting very tensed; he was consistently passing on the message,” Iyer said after the enthralling victory in the second ODI that helped India clinch the series with a game to spare.

“I think a lot of players showed really good emotions out there and were very calm and composed in the pressure situation. And since we have played so many matches lately, I think we have already seen all these emotions. It was just another game for us. I think we did pretty well, especially Axar, the way he finished off today. It was an outstanding knock,” he added.

Sanju Samson showed a lot of intent: Shreyas Iyer

India chased down a target of 312 runs set by the hosts to register their highest successful chase in West Indies. After Dhawan was dismissed early, it was Iyer and Sanju Samson who stitched up a terrific 99-run stand for the fourth wicket to give a strong base for the middle-order batters.

Iyer has been terrific in the series so far, batting at No. 3 in the absence of Virat Kohli at the spot. He scored a half-century in the first ODI and continued his good form even in the second game with a 71-ball 63. Iyer’s composed knock, alongside a partnership with Samson, helped India rise from 79/3 to 178/4.

“It was a crucial partnership. We lost two back-to-back wickets. We were 60 for 3 (79/3), and from there, we had to rebuild. Sanju came in and obviously showed a lot of intent. I was already batting. I had faced around 20 balls and was batting on 15. I knew what I was going to do, and Sanju at the same time, faced a few balls, and then he went after the spinners. He hit them for two sixes, and suddenly, the momentum shifted towards us. From there onwards, we built on the partnership and carried forward the momentum,” the prolific batter said about his partnership with Samson.