Learnt art of chasing watching Kohli bat: Iyer

With a half-century and 44 off 33 balls in the successful chases in the first two T20 Internationals, Iyer is fast becoming another viable option for the Indian team apart from its talismanic skipper when it comes to tricky run-chases.

“I personally feel that you have a fair idea how many runs you are going to chase and at what run-rate you have to chase them. Virat Kohli is the perfect example when he goes out to bat and the way he plans his innings. I learn a lot from him personally, the way he grinds out and he tries to finish the game. That’s the best part about him,” Iyer told mediapersons after India took 2-0 lead in the five-match series. He also learns a lot from his senior Mumbai teammate Rohit Sharma, who can demolish any attack on his day.

“Also Rohit Sharma, whenever he’s given an opportunity, he makes the best use of it. All these amazing characters in the team set a really good example for us youngsters. There’s a lot to learn from them and that’s what I try to apply whenever I go out there. I think that I have to stay not out and it really helps me grind throughout that middle period and when the time comes, I take on the bowlers. That’s how you plan your innings when you are chasing,” Iyer said.

The 25-year-old is known for his penchant for hitting big sixes but he also understands thevalue of rotating the strike as a middle-order batsman.

“You have to play all sorts of shots and take singles. As well as when you want to hit sixes, you have to be aware of thefact that you have to create that moment for yourself. You have to give yourself that time to get set. That’s what I usually do.”

After having played 34 white-ball games for India (15 ODIs and 19 T20Is), Iyer has realisedthat staying at the crease is an important virtue.

“I have realized playing so many matches that as long as I stay on the wicket, I tend to see the ball really well and I can take on the bowlers,” he opined. The Eden Park is a ridiculously short ground for an international game but even then it doesn’t make six-hitting easier, Iyer reckons.

“You do feel that the boundaries are close and you can easily clear them. But at the back of your mind, I like to give myself some time and I also count the spinners’ overs, and gauge how many they will bowl. If you give yourself time and charge at them in the later overs, your eyes are alsobetter set and once you do that, it doesn’t matter how big the boundaries are. You can still easily clear them,” he added.

“It makes you feel a little composed while chasing 130 because at the back of the mind, you know that you have to maintain a run-rate of about seven,” Iyer said.