Shreyas Iyer embraces pressure as India prepare for Afghanistan quarter-final in Nagoya
Shreyas Iyer said he welcomed the pressure as India prepare to face Afghanistan in the Asian Games quarter-final in Nagoya on Monday, despite a rain-hit build-up that has limited their practice. Persistent rain has left their only recent match practice as a five-over game against Japan.
India’s women have already won gold in Nagoya and the men begin the knockout stage under the expectation of matching that standard, a pressure Iyer described as desirable for an Indian side. “The expectation always remains to finish at the top for India and that is good pressure. When there are expectations, you want to deliver, but at the same time I think we should not think too much about the outcome. The standard we have set as a team, we should transcend that in every match,” he said, and he added that India would not take Monday’s quarter-final lightly despite having swept Afghanistan 3-0 in a recent T20I series.
Nagoya has been battered by torrential rain over the last two days, leaving India with limited opportunities to train ahead of the knockout stage. Iyer refused to allow the weather to become an excuse, saying: “We cannot cite the reason of rain because we are a bunch of professionals. Such hurdles keep coming and mentally we have to be prepared irrespective of what the situation is going to be.” The squad has attempted to make the most of short windows, getting time for knocking, warm-ups and bowling work whenever possible.
Iyer described the conditions and the team's response in detail, saying: “It's not just normal rain, it's a torrential downpour. But we were still able to maximise our warm-up and get the feel of the stadium, breathe fresh air and also, on the turf, even when it was raining, we did some knocking. The bowlers did some strides in the background. So we are trying to maximise the best we can.” The rain-hit contest against Japan, which India won by just two runs after it was reduced to five overs per side, underlined how quickly conditions can alter a game's balance.
Iyer also commented on his experience of the wider Asian Games environment and the discipline around the event, saying: “The discipline I liked very much. People follow the instructions. We were in Tokyo, played a match against Japan and did not get too many practice sessions, so we explored the place a little bit. It was a good experience.” India had spent time in Tokyo before playing Japan and used the period to acclimatise amid restricted training opportunities.
On the growth of cricket on the multi-sport stage and the importance of match practice, Iyer said: “Every match is important because every match gives us practice. The way cricket is growing, competition is also increasing and it is good for cricket overall. The more opportunities we get to play matches, the better. So we will have to maintain good fitness and mindset.” He added that India now have limited room for the uncertainty that affected their build-up.
Afghanistan stand between India and a place in the semi-finals, with the knockout stage likely to demand a very different level of control from the five-over scramble against Japan.