Former India batter Mohammad Kaif lauded Shreyas Iyer for his crucial 79 against New Zealand in their final Group A match of the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday. Kaif said the time has come to recognise Iyer as a major talent on the world stage. New Zealand and India have already qualified for the semi-finals after wins over Bangladesh and Pakistan and the winner of the match will take the top spot in Group A. Iyer, who scored 56 against Pakistan in the previous match, continued his stellar form in the tournament with successive half-century to guide India to a respectable total of 249/9 in 50 overs after losing Shubman Gill, captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the first seven overs of the innings. For New Zealand, Matt Henry picked five-wicket haul and returned with the figures of 5-42 in his eight overs. The match was played at Wankhede Stadium in a high-scoring contest which India won by 70 runs.
