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Team India defeated Sri Lanka in their latest 2023 World Cup encounter in Mumbai to make it seven wins in as many games. They also became the first side to qualify for the semi-final despite having two round-robin games remaining.
One of India's heroes of the Sri Lanka clash was middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who scored a pulsating 82 off 56 deliveries to push the team total to 357 in 50 overs. Despite brushing aside worries regarding his form, Iyer was asked about his struggles against short-pitched bowling, much to the disgust of the batter.
The combustive 28-year-old pushed back on the notion and made the headlines with his comments on the derogation. This isn't the first instance of an Indian cricketer snapping back at reporters in a press conference.
Several players have been guilty of the same in a bid to assert themselves, even if it makes them sound dissonant.
The exchanges usually have an Indian cricketer or captain hitting back at condescending remarks about the team's performances and doctored pitches at home or about an individual's form or lack thereof.
Here is a look at five Indian players, including Shreyas Iyer, who hit back at press conferences.
#1 Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer and his short-ball struggles have been well-documented. The batter has been dismissed by short-pitch balls on a couple of occasions in the ongoing World Cup.
However, the 28-year-old immediately defended himself and blamed the media for spreading the 'he can't play the short-ball' theory. Despite his match-winning 82, Iyer was left to address questions on his ability to take short-pitched bowling.
One of the journalists began asking Iyer:
"The short ball has been a problem for you since the beginning of this World Cup…"
However, the Mumbai batter abruptly cut short the question and asked:
"When you say it’s a problem for me, what do you mean?"
Following this, Shreyas Iyer continued his disagreement with the reporter and stated:
"Troubled me? Have you seen how many pull shots I’ve scored, especially that have gone for four? If you’re trying to hit a ball, you’re bound to get out anyway, irrespective of if it’s a short ball, if it’s overpitched. If I get bowled two or three times, you all would say, ‘he can’t play an in-swinging ball, he can’t play a cut if the ball is seaming."
He continued explaining how the media have created the narrative on his weakness against short-pitched bowling.
"We as players, we are bound to get out on any sort of deliveries. You guys have created that mahaul [atmosphere] outside that ‘he can’t play a short ball’, and I feel that people are picking that up every now and then and it plays on your [the media’s] mind regularly, and you keep working on that," added Iyer.
Data predominantly validates Iyer's comments, with the batter boasting an excellent strike rate of 135.44 against the short ball. Ironically, almost 20 percent of his boundaries in ODIs have come against similar deliveries.
However, he also averages only 21.40 against the short delivery, making him vulnerable to dismissals while attempting a big shot.
So far in the ongoing World Cup, Shreyas Iyer has scored 216 runs in seven games at an average of 43.20 and a strike rate of over 100.
#2 Virat Kohli
Former captain Virat Kohli has been notorious for hitting back at critics for unfairly derogative remarks about his batting or the team's performance.
In the recent tour of the West Indies, the 34-year-old finally broke his overseas Test century drought of five years with a magnificent ton in his 500th international game. It was Kohli's 15th Test century away from home and his 29th overall in the format.
When asked about his recent lack of overseas Test centuries at the end of Day 2 of the second Test against the West Indies, Kohli said:
"These are things for others to talk. I have got 15 hundreds away from home, that’s not a bad record. I have got more hundreds away than at home. The key is to do well to the best of my ability. We haven’t played 30 matches away from home and I have got a few fifty-plus scores."
The champion batter further emphasized leaving an impact as being more important to him than stats and milestones.
"If I get 50 the feeling is I missed out on a 100, if I get 120 the feeling is I missed out on a double hundred. These stats and milestones (will) mean nothing in 15 years’ time, what they will remember is if I left an impact or not. I am grateful to play 500 games for India. It’s the commitment you give to the sport you are playing which gives you the result," Kohli added.
Despite the lean patch, Kohli boasts incredible numbers in the red-ball format away from home, with over 4,400 runs at an average of almost 43 in 59 games.
The 34-year-old has continued his red-hot form this year in the ongoing World Cup as the second-leading run-scorer with 442 runs in seven games at an average of 88.40.
#3 Rohit Sharma
Any Test series played in India often invites discussions on the pitches being massively in favor of the spinners, especially from the experts of the touring party.
It was no different in this year's Border Gavaskar Trophy, with pitches turning from Day 1, resulting in a nightmare for batters from India and Australia. While the hosts won the opening two Tests, they were undone by the Aussie spinners to fold for 109 and 163 to lose the third game by nine wickets.
Following the defeat, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma hit back at critics about the side's batting and the pitches prepared for the series.
"It was our call to play on pitches like these. I don't think we are putting pressure on the batters. When we win all seems well. We are not asked about our batting. It is talked about when we lose. Honestly, the pitch talk is getting too much, every time we play in India focus is only on the pitch. We focus too much on the pitch in India. I don't think that is necessary," Rohit said.
He further questioned former players by stating their experience playing on such pitches.
"Former cricketers, I don't think they played on pitches like these. So I don't know honestly. Like I said, this is the kind of pitches we want to play on. This is our strength. So when you are playing at home, you always play to your strength and not worry about what people are talking about," he added.
Despite the captain's statements, the pitch for the fourth and final Test at Ahmedabad was benign, with teams scoring 480 and 571 in their first innings, respectively.
It ended up being the only drawn game of the series, with India taking the honors 2-1.
#4 Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was undergoing a terrible lack of form before scoring a vital 61 in the second innings of India's memorable 151-run victory at Lord's in 2021.
Following scores of 5 and 1 in his opening two innings of the series, the Indian Test vice-captain stood up with the side reeling at 55/3 to help set England a target of 272.
In the post-match press conference, Rahane broke his silence and provided a befitting reply to his critics by saying:
"I am happy people are talking about me. I have always felt people talk about important people so I am not concerned about that. It's all about the contributions for the team. Everything motivates. I mean playing for the country motivates me the most. I am not bothered about criticism. As I said, people criticise only important people. I am happy people are criticising me. I only focus on the controllables."
The Lord's victory helped India take a 1-0 lead in the series, eventually ending in a 2-2 stalemate.
However, Rahane was dropped further down the road, owing to continued poor form, before making a spectacular comeback for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia earlier this year.
#5 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin has been known to give his opinions on anything involving cricket, some of which are often controversial. His no-holding-back approach makes him among the most charismatic characters in the sport.
Yet, his dropping from the ODI squad after the 2017 tour of the West Indies and the success of the wrist spin duo Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav sparked questions about the dying art of finger spinners.
In a conversation during a Deodhar Trophy game five years back, Ashwin vehemently disagreed, describing such theories as just perceptions.
"Like they say, world spins and everything will spin around. It’s only matter of time as more often than not Indian cricket is built mostly on perceptions. If you are successful, people will say it’s right. If you are not successful, people will have an opinion," said Ashwin.
"For the better part of my 150 wickets, experts kept on saying that I was trying variations….when I knew I wasn’t doing it. These are opinion created by people for which I have to give answer to. I don’t have time for that anymore as I want to enjoy my game," he added.
Interestingly, five years later, Ashwin is back in the Indian ODI squad for the ongoing World Cup, with Yuzvendra Chahal missing out.
The off-spinner has played the lone game against Australia that India won by six wickets before warming the benches.
