India’s vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer, opened up about a crucial technical adjustment to his batting stance following the team’s narrow two-wicket loss to Australia in the second One-Day International at the Adelaide Oval. The defeat on October 23, 2025, handed the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Iyer, who scored a gritty 61 off 77 balls and was involved in a vital 118-run partnership with Rohit Sharma (73), credited a return to a more upright stance for his regained confidence and consistency, particularly on bouncier wickets.
The star middle-order batter explained that the shift in technique was not an impulsive, sudden decision but a deliberate change he had been working on for the past year. “The technique I’ve got lately is not something that I’ve changed suddenly. Since last year, I wanted to have an upright stance, especially on wickets where the bounce is a little more than expected,” Iyer stated at the post-match press conference. He added that he worked with his coach to adopt the upright position, which he had used in his younger days, finding that it “has been suiting me quite well.”
Iyer elaborated that this adjustment allows him to adapt better to different surfaces, noting that the upright stance is particularly helpful on red-soil pitches in Mumbai, which also offer extra bounce. “You have to keep chopping and changing because every surface is different. I’ve changed my stance several times now, and I feel I can adapt anywhere at the moment,” he remarked, highlighting the importance of being flexible and condition-ready.
Reflecting on the match, which India finished at 264/9, Iyer acknowledged the initial challenge posed by the Australian pace attack, especially Josh Hazlewood, who was bowling “brilliantly” on a seaming pitch. The early wickets of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli meant his partnership with Rohit Sharma was crucial for recovery. “We wanted to have an attacking approach but also rotate strike as much as possible. It was about ensuring we reached a total from where we could put pressure on the bowlers later,” he said.
Iyer admitted the team was “disappointed” to lose a do-or-die match, which sealed the series for Australia, but he gave credit to the opposition’s successful chase. He specifically praised young Australian batter Cooper Connolly for showing “a lot of maturity to finish off the game” with an unbeaten 61 after the pitch eased out later in the day.
When asked about the challenge of switching between international and domestic assignments, Iyer dismissed it, emphasising that performance in domestic cricket, like the India A series, provides the necessary confidence and match preparation. He also touched upon workload management across formats, mentioning that he has become more conscious of maintaining his intensity, especially after long fielding hours in red-ball cricket, which can cause a drop in intensity at the international level.
The technical adjustment has seemingly helped Iyer weather the storm against quality pace bowling, especially on surfaces with unpredictable bounce, a factor that has previously troubled him. His half-century in Adelaide, following the disappointing loss in the first ODI, marks a significant step in his preparation and form as India looks ahead in their ODI calendar.
