Cricket World Cup - "Not Concerned About His Place": Sunil Gavaskar's Big Remark On India Star

India became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup after hammering Sri Lanka by 302 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday. While Indian pacers ripped through Sri Lanka's batting and bowled them out for just 55 runs, star batter Shreyas Iyer's return to form was the highlight of India's dominant win. Iyer, who has been under the scanner for a string of low scores in the tournament, slammed 82 runs off just 56 balls, hitting six sixes and three fours. Iyer silenced his critics and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was impressed with the intent shown by the batter, and said he wasn't concerned about his himself during the match.

"I think Nasser mentioned that earlier that he wasn't playing for his place in the team. He was looking to get the scoreboard ticking, he was looking to play the big shots. So, he really wasn't concerned about himself, you know? Yes, there were question marks about his place in the team, but he just put them to rest because kind of number he bats at. He will get to 80 quickly," Gavaskar said on Star Sports after the match.

Gavaskar, however, advised Iyer to be a tad bit careful about his shot selection, especially against the short-pitched deliveries.

"He just needs to at maybe, at some stage at the start. Maybe just be a little careful about his short selection. Otherwise, you know that's the reason why he's at number four and not Rahul. Rahul is at five. Because Rahul, in case you lose two or three wickets, you have somebody who's opened the batting to handle the new ball. But here I think today, you know, he set to rest all doubts about his batting," he added.

Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull echoed Gavaskar's sentiments, adding that Iyer has