Ahead of the do-or-die match against Australia, India batsman Shreyas Iyer asserted that the team will come back strong in the series after losing the first ODI.
"We have not lost the series and we can still come back strong and that's what we have discussed in the dressing room after the game. We need to back ourselves and believe in ourselves," Iyer told reporters in the pre-match conference here on Thursday.
"There is definitely a lot of areas to work on and yes we will come back strong in the next match," he added.
Iyer, who came to bat at number three at Wankhede Stadium ahead of skipper Virat Kohli, said that "you have to be ready to bat at any number" as the competition in the team is very tough.
"Currently in this situation you have to be ready to bat at any number. It is really important to play in the team as the competition we have right now," the right-handed batsman said.
"We can not give any reasons of batting at any particular number. So, it is really important for us to be focused and not to cry about we have not been batting in similar positions. Experimentation is something we are looking forward to and hopefully, we get a number for each batsman," he added.
Australia trounced India by 10 wickets in the opening game of the three-match series in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Commenting on the defeat, the 25-year-old said, "Basically I will say the country is not prepared to see us collapsing in such situations but it is a part and parcel of the game. We know as a team we have been doing really well throughout the season and it was just one of those matches where you completely collapse." Iyer said.
"It was not a disappointing performance but there is a lot of learning from there," he added.
The second ODI between India and Australia will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday, January 17.
( With inputs from ANI )
