“India must have breathed a sigh of relief” – Saba Karim as Ravichandran Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer’s partnership helps visitors clinch series

Former India selector Saba Karim has hailed Ravichandran Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer for their match-winning partnership against Bangladesh in the Dhaka Test. He feels that Team India must have breathed a sigh of relief as the duo put on a 71-run stand. That came after the visitors were down and out at 74/7 while chasing a small target of 145.

Speaking on India News, Karim said:

“Winning the game is a different skill. How Shreyas Iyer and R Ashwin build the partnership was very significant. No matter how much the score but in the end, finishing the match gives you a lot of satisfaction.

He continued:

"India must have breathed a sigh of relief because it looked like Bangladesh would win the game.”

While Ashwin scored an unbeaten 42, Iyer scored 29 not out. The victory helped Team India win the series 2-0 and retain the second spot in the World Test Championship table.

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“We have to give him 10/10” – Reetinder Singh Sodhi on Shreyas Iyer

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Reetinder Singh Sodhi has praised Iyer for his consistency with the bat. He feels that the right-hander deserves full marks for his scores of 86, 87, and an unbeaten 29 in the Test series.

On this, he said:

“Shreyas Iyer must have got a lot of confidence. He has shown consistency. We have to give him 10/10.”

Sodhi believes that Iyer has cemented his place in Team India’s middle order after scoring consistently in Bangladesh.

“How Iyer has batted throughout the series. It has been impressive. That’s what we were waiting for. Youngsters who couldn’t cement their places before have finally cemented their spots. It’s a big win.”

Iyer has amassed 422 runs in eight Test innings at an average of 60.29 this year, including four half-centuries. He will look to continue his decent performance in the upcoming four-match Test series against Australia at home, scheduled to be held in February-March.