Lyon, O’keefe give Iyer batting practice

Young Mumbaikar reels off unbeaten 85 from 93 balls to punish Australian spinners on the second day of the tour game

Asked if there’s any age restriction for the cricket board’s employees, he answered in the negative. “There’s no (age) restriction imposed by the Committee of Administrators. There was no restriction imposed by the previous management also. I feel it is individual’s decision. I decided that I have served there for more than five years and it’s the appropriate time to move out,” Shah asserted.

He, however, informed that former the BCCI general manager (communications and coordination) Amrit Mathur, who retired in December, had an age clause in his contract. “There’s a difference between Amrit and me. Amrit’s appointment (papers) specifically stated that he would retire after 60. Nothing was mentioned in my case.”

Conflict of interest

Shah had found himself in the middle of a conflict-of-interest controversy last year; about his association with BG Shirke Constructions, a company helmed by former BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke. The company was said to have a professional link with a state cricket association.

Did the conflict issue play any part in Shah’s decision? “Not at all. Nobody asked me. I had given my explanation. At that time also, the management hadn’t asked me, nor has today anybody asked me about that. It was totally my decision and it had nothing to do with the conflict. Actually there was no conflict involved in that but that was my view,” he said.

The BCCI now has two general managers standing; Ratnakar Shetty, general manager—administration, and MV Sridhar, general manager—cricket operations. IT WAS an off-break that pitched somewhere near middle-stump on a length. Shreyas Iyer though was already to the pitch of it, having left his crease the moment the ball left Nathan Lyon's hand. And he walloped it so hard, the ball nearly landed up in the CCI parking lot behind the Brabourne Stadium. If it was a statement that Iyer was trying to make in his first-ever red-ball encounter against a high-profile international team, he couldn't have found a sweeter part of his bat to make it with. That it was off the first ball of his innings only made it resonate even more.

For those who have seen Iyer bat before though, it wasn't such a surprise. That's generally the contempt with which he treats most spinners on an ordinary day anyway. His aggression and audacity against them if anything has become a trademark, if not a calling card for the Mumbai right-hander.

But this was Lyon, the most successful and skillful spinner to come from Down Under since Shane Warne, bowling to him. To boot, the off-spinner had just gotten rid off Akhil Herwardkar with the previous delivery in classical fashion, an off-break that was given just enough air to tempt him forward and have him present a return catch off the leading-edge. Lyon seemed to have just found his rhythm. And here was Iyer prepared to knock it out of the park right away.

Iyer would strike four more sixes as the day wore on, one more off Lyon and a couple against the metronomic Stephen O'keefe. He would finish unbeaten on 85 to set himself up nicely for a second-straight century against a touring team for India A on Sunday. Later in the day, he would also explain the rationale behind pulling the trigger against Lyon at the get-go.

"Firstly when I saw the mid-on and the field in, I took on the charge and spread the field so I can really hit singles," he said.

It was a statement that befitted if not mirrored the way Iyer goes about his batting. He's not one to hold back when he sees the ball in his half, and already he's developing a reputation of saying it how he sees it even off it. His explanation and in many ways the manner in which he went about putting Lyon & Co to the sword was also a great learning curve for the Australian spinners as they prepare for the ominous task of tackling the mighty Indian batting line-up over the next few weeks.

Iyer would insist on his approach not being 'predetermined'. In a way it is though. For, if you look at the Indian Test team top-order, it's a ploy that they use uniformly to nullify if not eliminate the threat of the opposition spinnners: go for the jugular and cut off the vein as the Black Light Burns song goes. Not like the Australian spinners aren't aware of it already. Lyon has bowled enough at the Indians to know that.

Taking the aerial route

The last time the two teams met, in Australia two years ago, there was hardly a spell from Lyon where Vijay didn't loft him over the in-field at least a couple of times in his first two overs. The same goes with Rahul and Rahane. You wouldn't expect Pujara to air-lift the ball too often early in his innings and Kohli seems to have cut out the six option against spin more or less during this ridiculous run with the bat in Tests.

But even Pujara and Kohli are always looking to take the game right to the spinner in the early going and force the opposition captain's hand. Then once the field is spread, they go about creating angles for twos and threes, thereby adding to the spinners' woes in less explosive but equally destructive fashion. That's exactly what Iyer succeeded in doing here. Lyon has shown the tendency to operate incessantly from around the wicket to right-handers. From there he gives the ball enough rip to then bounce off the surface and have batsmen caught at short-leg. He started from over the wicket though to Iyer. But was forced to jump back to his comfort zone after just one powerful blow.

He then soon changed ends. He did get more grip from the surface from the far end, and didn't give Iyer any further invitations to clear the fence thereafter. That Iyer still managed to do that was an ode to his skills.

It was interesting to hear Iyer then talk about his first experience against a worldclass spinner. According to him, Lyon was "faster in the air" and didn't provide him with any flight like the kinds he faces from the spinners at domestic level. He also called the Aussie challenge far superior to the one he had contended while scoring a ton against Bangladesh two weeks ago. "I had to step out and convert them into big shots. The best thing about him was that he didn’t bowl any short balls. Usually in the domestic circuit, once you hit them over the top, they start bowling the shorter ball and I am always ready to play the cut shot," he said.

O'keefe is an interesting choice to play Lyon's accomplice on Indian soil. The leftarm spinner isn't one who turns the ball much, bowls flatter in the air and is more in the keeps-it-tight category. He's also just the kind of spinner that the Indian batsmen thrive on killing softly. He got a taste of it here too.

While he too was struck for sixes, most of the damage against him came via clever manipulation of the field. There were numerous dabs past the slip fielder or behind point with a couple even speeding to the boundary whenever O'keefe was just a tad too short or when he gave a little width.

Inadditiontoahigherstandardofspin,iyer also spoke about having to deal with the customary 'sledging' from the Aussies especially Davidwarnerandmatthewwade“theywere saying,'thisguydoesn’tknowhowtoplaydefensive stroke. Can’t defend the ball.' So I was proving them wrong," he said. Prove them wrong,hedid.itwasn'tthefirsttimeamumbai batsman was looking to take apart the lead Australian spinner in the build-up to a Test series at the Brabourne Stadium. But unlike Tendulkar two decades ago, it's unlikely that Iyer will get a chance to produce an encore when the Tests begin. He however provided Lyon&cowithenoughsignsthattheyareinfor some tough days ahead.

Australians 469/7d vs India A 176/4 in 51.0 ovs (Shreyas Iyer 85 batting, P Panchal 36; Jackson Bird 15/2 ).

BRIEF SCORES:

Kevin D’souza Shreyas, in his breezy knock, nonchalantly took the aerial route against spinners Nathan Lyon and Steve O’keefe.