"There is no ego" - Aakash Chopra picks Shreyas Iyer as his Player of the Match for the 3rd India vs Sri Lanka T20I

Aakash Chopra has lauded Shreyas Iyer for keeping his ego aside and playing as per the demands of the situation in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Iyer scored an unbeaten 73 off just 45 deliveries to help Team India chase down a 147-run target in the third T20I. It was his third consecutive unbeaten half-century of the series.

While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra chose Shreyas Iyer as his Player of the Match. He elaborated:

"My Player of the Match has to be Shreyas Iyer one more time. He takes the backseat if someone is hitting from the other end and dominates whenever required. The chances he is taking are also all calculated risks and is happy taking singles, there is no ego."

The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Iyer started every innings from scratch and did not get overconfident because of his previous exploits. Chopra explained:

"He has been absolutely incredible. The way he is batting and the best thing I liked is that when you are in good form, you are your biggest enemy because along with the confidence, you are also taking the runs forward."

Iyer aggregated 204 runs in the three-match series without getting dismissed even once. It was the most runs scored by an Indian cricketer in a three-match bilateral T20I series.

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"Shreyas Iyer plays every ball on its merit" - Aakash Chopra

Shreyas Iyer hit nine fours and a six during his knock [P/C: BCCI]

Aakash Chopra added that Iyer did not try to play an aggressive shot off every delivery. He observed:

"You feel that you will hit every ball for a four - 'I had hit the same bowler on the same pitch in the last match, let me just take a chance.' But he is not doing that at all. He plays every ball on its merit."

The 44-year-old pointed out that Iyer maintained an excellent strike rate while playing each delivery on its merit. Chopra elaborated:

"Playing on merit doesn't mean that he is playing slowly. He is also showing that a good technique does not bind him but liberates him. We saw him playing with a different temperament in every match."

Aakash Chopra concluded by stating that Shreyas Iyer's outstanding performance has given a sweet headache to the Indian selectors and team management.

He opined that Suryakumar Yadav seemed to be ahead of his fellow Mumbaikar in the pecking order going into the Sri Lanka series. However, the new Kolkata Knight Riders skipper might now be the first candidate if a place is vacant slightly up the order.