With Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant firing on all cylinders, several cricket pundits have questioned Shreyas Iyer's place in Team India. Additionally, Shreyas Iyer's problems against the short ball have been well documented and he has received a lot of flak for his inability to overcome the challenge of deliveries that are pointed towards his rib cage. In this context, former India pacer and noted commentator Ajit Agarkar has warned him that because he's no longer the team management's first-choice for a middle-order spot, he may not find himself in the side for the T20 World Cup in Australia. According to Ajit Agarkar, Shreyas Iyer must find solutions to his issues against short-pitched stuff if he wants to be on the flight to Kangaroo land.
On Friday, Shreyas Iyer made a fluent 54 against the West Indies in the first ODI in Port of Spain but wasn't tested by Nicholas Pooran's fast bowlers.
This completely contrasts the English bowlers who made his life hell with a continuous barrage of short balls during the previous tour.
The Caribbean pacers didn't employ such a strategy and the Mumbai-born cricketer made good use of it as he went on to score a crisp half-century at the Queen's Park Oval.
But Ajit Agarkar feels that because India has the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, and Hardik Pandya to bat in the middle-order, Shreyas Iyer's chances of finding a place in the middle-order are quite low and he was in danger of losing his spot there.
“Things have changed, haven't they? He is the one guy who is in danger of losing his spot a little bit. We know how well Suryakumar Yadav has played. Besides, there's another problem.. a couple of things that he needs to work on includes his short-ball issue,” Ajit Agarkar said on FanCode.
“One thing he did today was that he left the (short) ball. You can only bowl two bouncers. So, you better get out of the way because that shot (pull) doesn't come naturally to him. Once he's set, maybe then he can play those deliveries. So, that's the one shot he shouldn't try too early. He has got enough ability,” Ajit Agarkar further said.
Earlier, former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris, ex-India pacer RP Singh and retired stumper Parthiv Patel had pointed out the same weakness in Shreyas Iyer's batting.
RP Singh went as far as to say that Shreyas Iyer's problems with the short ball have spread like wildfire and every international bowler was trying to target him with that kind of bowling.
“What I really like about Shreyas Iyer is the leadership qualities that he possesses. I think he's a real possibility to be a captain as well for India. For that reason, I would like to see him in and even give him more and more opportunities to be around this squad. What I don't like, the negative if you like, is that there is no secret about Shreyas. He has real problems with the short ball. I think you'll see a lot of teams attack him with the quick bowlers looking to attack the body with the bouncer, go under the armpit if you like because I'm not sure he has found a way. He's almost a little bit like Suresh Raina in that regard where teams now know how to attack him,” Scott Styris said.
“It's now up to Shreyas Iyer to find a way to succeed against that style of bowling. If he can do that, then I think he's one of the first names you write down in that Indian side. I really do like all the qualities about him, but until then, I think you've just got to give him opportunities and if he can’t find success then you need to find someone else who can, but he’s very talented,” Scott Styris added.
“This has spread like a wildfire that he can’t play the short ball. It is not possible for you to move away to your leg stump and play because sometimes the third man can be up or the fine leg can be up. This will stop your run flow. Shreyas needs to take a single and move to the other end,” RP Singh noted.
“If you back away then your stumps get exposed, and then you are prone to get clean bowled. Even in IPL we saw Umran Malik had him out. When you play international cricket, people will try to expose you. As RP Singh said, you need to take a single and then decide if I can go for a big shot or not,” Parthiv Patel concluded.
Shreyas Iyer will be back in action on Sunday during the second ODI between India and the West Indies in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago.
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