'You need someone really reliable...' - Anil Kumble lauds star India batter for terrific performance in Champions Trophy 2025

India's former cricketer, Anil Kumble, applauded Shreyas Iyer for a wonderful performance in the Champions Trophy 2025. Iyer also played well in the ODI WC 2023 in the middle orders, helping India have a stable batting lineup. India won the Champions Trophy, and Iyer played a brilliant inning in the finals against New Zealand. He scored 48 runs off 62 balls, including two boundaries and two sixes. 

"Yes, he has been [India's most reliable batter]. We saw that even in the ODI World Cup and in this competition as well. At No. 4, you need someone really reliable, who not just controls the innings but then goes at a pace that is required of that situation. I think Shreyas has certainly read that," said Anil Kumble on ESPN Cricinfo.

Not only Iyer but even KL Rahul was a supporting hand for the Indian team. He was there till the end, winning the game for the team. Rohit Sharma was given the Player of the Match award for his 84-ball 76 runs in the final encounter. He was just outstanding in the match, hitting boundaries and scoring runs confidently. 

His role in this team is not to finish the game: Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble also praised India's middle-order batter, KL Rahul, for staying till the end and winning the game for India. This isn't the first time he stepped up and scored well. Rahul was the unsung hero for the team and will be looking forward to repeating his performance in the upcoming matches as well. 

"His role in this team is not to finish the game, but ensure that those middle periods, whenever he walks in, till about the 35th-40th over, he sets things up for the KL Rahuls and the Hardik Pandyas to come in and finish things off. What's been impressive has been his partnerships - initially with Virat Kohli in that previous game and then here again, with Axar Patel," added Kumble.