Shreyas Iyer excelled in the three-day T20I series against Sri Lanka, bringing team management to a major but fortunate selection issue for the T20 World Cup squad. With the return of Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has his thoughts on Iyer’s batting position in the squad.
Ayer managed to find a place in the squad after Kohli was released from the bio-bubble by the selectors ahead of their third T20I match against West Indies. He played No. 3 that game with 25 points on 16 shots, and then hit a 204-point game against Sri Lanka for a three-game unbeaten streak in half a century.
With Kohli’s return, Iyer had to slip one spot, but India also had Suryakumar Yadav, who completed the West Indies T20I series as tournament winner. So another place below, but the team has Rishabh Pant again. So where does Ayer fit in?
Gavaskar admits this is a big problem, and in an interview with Star Sports he believes that Kohli is still irreplaceable, so Iyer needs to be 4th or 5th alongside Suryakumar.
“It’s a big deal. Obviously Virat Kohli is irreplaceable. No doubt he’ll probably be No. 3. However, you can put someone like Shreyas Iyer in slot 4 or 5. Suryakumar, The way he hits the ball, he has to be included. As far as the team is concerned, it’s just an advantage,” he said.
The legendary batsman added that with a “top batting line-up”, India can afford to choose outright bowlers rather than capable bowlers.
“There are so many possibilities. It allows you to go into the game as a pure bowler rather than a bowler who can bat. With a top batting lineup, you can go head-to-head with unknown batsmen like Mohammed Siraj or Avesh Khan. You Don’t have to look for someone like Shardul Thakur or Deepak Chahar or Bhuvneshwar Kumar who can hit the ball. They can think of full attack,” he explained.
A two-test series is to follow the T20I series. India will now play T20I matches for the next two months thanks to the Indian Premier League, but will host South Africa’s five T20I series in June.
Complete News Source : Hindustan Times
