IND vs NZ | IPL captaincy has helped transform Shreyas Iyer into more sincere cricketer, feels KL Rahul

When KL Rahul and skipper Virat Kohli, who shared a 99-run stand between them for the second wicket, fell in the span of seven deliveries, there was always a sense of fear amongst the fans whether the inexperienced middle-order would fold under pressure. But the trio of Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey and Shivam Dube all kept a calm head and came up with vital contributions to take the team home and help them to a 1-0 series lead.

It was Iyer who led from the front, scoring a stunning 29-ball 58, and Rahul believes that Iyer leading a team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Delhi Capitals, has transformed him into a more sincere cricketer. The opener also lauded the intent shown by the aforementioned trio of Pandey, Iyer and Dube.

"The way Shreyas, Manish and Shivam played, it was full of intent. We needed good hits in the middle overs, and Shreyas did that brilliantly. He is leading a team in the IPL and that makes him more sincere as a cricketer. He was so good to watch today," Rahul said in the post-match press conference.

One of the major talking points prior to the match was the small nature of the grounds in New Zealand which made it easier to hit fours and sixes whilst at the same time, making life difficult for batsmen to run twos and threes. Rahul revealed that there were discussions held prior to the match on where potential scoring options were for the batsmen, how to exploit the dimensions of the ground and stated that he embraced the challenge of playing at the relatively small venue. 

"In the team meetings, coaches put up these stats and numbers about the particular ground, dimension of the ground, and all. Before coming to the ground, we kind of have a fair idea of the venue, hitting areas, and what are the areas we can hit two and threes," said the 27-year-old.

"We have played enough cricket to understand which kind of shots are good at a particular ground. But it is a strange thing for me, I am playing here for the first time. But I was ready to take up the challenge," he added.

If anything, the only downside to the win today for India was their bowling performance, with every single bowler receiving a tonking from the Kiwi batsman. However, the 27-year-old is confident that the bowlers will learn from their unpleasant experience in the first game and will bounce back strong in the games to come.

"It was our first game. So we’ll obviously get better as far as lengths we bowl as a bowling unit. It’s different shape, different grass, so it was a challenge for the boys as far as fielding is concerned. We have an idea of what are the things that we can improve and we will improve."