Nagpur, Feb 8 Shreyas lyer, who delivered a game-changing knock of 59, was meant to sit out in the opening ODI against England. However, it all changed when he got the late-night selection call from skipper Rohit Sharma.There were speculations that Yashasvi Jaiswal received his maiden ODI cap due to Virat’s knee issue. However, after the game, Shreyas hinted that the young southpaw was in the original plans for the game, and it was he who was going to start the series on the bench.
Shreyas, watching a movie when he received the skipper’s call, had to cut short his movie night and march off to sleep straight away.
India missed the presence of batting maestro Virat Kohli in their playing XI for the first ODI agaisnt England in Nagpur. At the time of the toss, Rohit confirmed Virat was ruled out of the series opener with a swollen right knee.
lyer eventually played a crucial role in Men in Blue’s thumping win as his quickfire 59 off 36 changed the tempo of the game completely after India lost 2 quick wickets of Rohit and Jaiswal.
“So, funny story. I was watching a movie last night, I thought I could extend my night, but then I got a call from the skipper saying that you may play because Virat has got a swollen knee. And then [I] hurried back to my room, went off to sleep straight away,” lyer said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
lyer maintained a diplomatic stance when he was asked about Jaiswal starting ahead of him and said, “You know what you want me to say, but I’m going to keep it low-key and cherish this moment, the victory today.”
The inclusion of Jaiswal saw a shuffle in India’s playing XI, and the most notable one was the break up of the regular opening pair of Rohit and Shubman Gill.
With Jaiswal opening alongside the seasoned opener, Gill dropped to number three, but it is still unclear if he would continue in the position if Virat is available.
India comprehensively won the first ODI against England by 4 wickets. After restricting England to 247 with Jadeja and Harshit taking 3-fers, India came out strongly with the bat as well. Shubhman Gill led the charts with his 87 (96) along with lyer’s 59 (36) and Axar Patel’s 52 (47) guided the Men In Blue to a comfortable four wicket win in Nagpur.
Over the recent years, Shreyas established himself as the number four player in the ODI fold for India. He was a vital member during India’s run to the ODI World Cup 2023 final. During the tournament, he garnered 468 runs at an average of 66.25, including two hundreds.