WI vs IND 2022 | Should have converted my fifty to a hundred, admits Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer played a pivotal role in India's series-clinching two-wicket win against West Indies on Sunday at Queen's Park Oval. The 27-year-old stylish Indian batter, who was criticized for his batting woes against short-of-length deliveries, hit his second successive half-century in the first two games in West Indies. The latest one -- a superb 71-ball 63 -- helped his side see off a challenging target of 312 with two wickets and two balls to spare.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Shreyas highlighted plenty of aspects of his knock. He termed their thrilling chase -- largely completed due to Axar Patel's unbeaten 35-ball 64 -- as 'fun' and then talked about his 99-run stand with Sanju Samson (54 off 51 balls) for the fourth wicket after they were down to 79/3 in 17.2 overs. However, at the same time, he admitted he should have crossed a hundred, especially with the impressive start he had got.

"I think a lot of players showed really good emotions out there and were very calm and composed in the pressure situation. And since we have played so many matches lately, I think we have already seen all these emotions. It was just another game for us. I think we did pretty well, especially Axar, the way he finished off today. It was an outstanding knock," Shreyas told the reporters at the post-match presentation.

"It was a crucial partnership. We lost two back-to-back wickets. We were 60 for 3 (79/3), and from there, we had to rebuild. Sanju came in and obviously showed a lot of intent. I was already batting. I had faced around 20 balls and was batting on 15. I knew what I was going to do, and Sanju at the same time, faced a few balls, and then he went after the spinners. He hit them for two sixes, and suddenly, the momentum shifted towards us. From there onwards, we built on the partnership and carried forward the momentum.

"Really fortunate to get to consecutive half-centuries. But I should have converted it into a century. You don't get such kind of start every time in international cricket. The more you convert your fifties into hundreds, the better it is. Today was a golden opportunity for me to convert my innings."

The third and last ODI between the two sides will be played on July 27 at the same venue.