“Back your instincts, and don’t listen to too many people” – Shreyas Iyer to Prithvi Shaw ahead of Vijay Hazare Trophy Final

Shreyas Iyer has advised Mumbai stand-in captain Prithvi Shaw to continue backing his instincts and play his natural game in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final in Delhi on Sunday. In this regard, Iyer has told the Mumbai opener not to listen to 'too many suggestions'.

Mumbai will lock horns against Uttar Pradesh in the summit clash of India’s premier List A competition, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Shreyas Iyer, who captained Mumbai in a few games last month, had to leave the tournament midway to join Team India for the limited-overs series against England.

After India’s defeat in the first T20I against England in Ahmedabad, Shreyas Iyer spoke about Mumbai’s chances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy Final, saying in this regard:

“My message to the Mumbai team would be not to change anything and continue the same way. Prithvi Shaw has been in great form. His mind is in the perfect space. I spoke to him on Thursday and told him that the pitch for the final would be different. I advised him not to take too many suggestions and continue to back his instincts. The morale of the side is pretty high at the moment.”

After coping with a lot of criticism for his failure in the first Test in Australia, Prithvi Shaw has turned around his fortunes, smashing a record 754 runs to power Mumbai to the Vijay Hazare Trophy final. In the process, Shaw surpassed Mayank Agarwal’s record of 723 runs, which the latter conjured in the 2018 edition of the competition.

The 21-year-old batsman has hit four centuries, including a double hundred, in seven matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy this season. His runs have come at an average of 188.5 and a strike-rate of 134.9.

Myyyy godddd . Take a bow @PrithviShaw and @devdpd07 , these boys are dominating in the Vijay hazare trophy. If ever there was a term "break the door" in terms of selections for team India , THIS IS IT. #Unbelievable #outstanding

— DK (@DineshKarthik) March 11, 2021

Carrying forward the momentum gained in Vijay Hazare Trophy: Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer was India’s lone bright spot in the eight-wicket debacle in the first T20I in Ahmedabad. A 48-ball 67 from the Mumbai batsman guided a struggling Indian side to a paltry 124.

#TeamIndia post 124/7 on the board, batting first. @ShreyasIyer15 6⃣7⃣@RishabhPant17 2⃣1⃣The England chase shall commence shortly. @Paytm #INDvENGScorecard 👉 https://t.co/XYV4KmdfJk pic.twitter.com/kzj9wHbgoc

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 12, 2021

Talking about his two centuries in the Vijay Hazare Trophy that helped build his confidence, Shreyas Iyer said in this regard:

“I played two good knocks in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and that gave me a lot of confidence. I am carrying forward the same momentum.”

Shreyas Iyer has scored 260 runs in four matches in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy, doing so at an average of 86.67. He has scored centuries against Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, down 0-1 in the five-match T20I series against England, India will look to draw parity in the second game in Ahmedabad on Sunday.