Out-of-form Shreyas Iyer under pressure to perform for Asia Cup berth as India take on Windies in 4th T20I today
Shreyas Iyer after being dismissed for a duck during the 1st T20I against WI recently. Pic/Getty Images
Shreyas Iyer’s performance will be under intense scrutiny as India gear up for the back-to-back T20I games against West Indies, starting here on Saturday, with the twin objective of winning the series and also firming up squad for T20 World Cup.
India are currently leading the five-match series 2-1 and nothing would be more satisfying than a couple of thumping wins in front of the USA’s Indian diaspora, which is anticipating an enjoyable weekend cricket carnival.However, in this current India set-up, if there is one man whose performance will be monitored more than anyone else, it has got to be Iyer.
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Hooda looking good
Deepak Hooda, who has used most of the opportunities handed to him, looks good to outwit Iyer at the moment as far as the big ticket T20 World Cup berth is concerned. With KL Rahul and Virat Kohli all set to be back in the playing XI for the Asia Cup, time is certainly running out for the Mumbaikar, who has had scores of 0, 10 (11 balls) and 24 (27 balls) in the three games so far in the ongoing series. He looked distinctly uncomfortable against the fast and rising deliveries.
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Iyer’s short ball problem
While the short ball is his main problem, watching Iyer gives a feeling that he is unable to decide at what pace and which gear he would bat in a T20 game, something that’s not the case when he is taking strike in 50-over format. In head coach Rahul Dravid’s regime so far, no player has got a raw deal in terms of chances and are given long enough rope to succeed. However, in the case of Iyer, his T20I game hasn’t exactly yielded the results that one has seen him deliver in ODI cricket.
Even then, Dravid has given Iyer nine T20I games in the last two and half months, out of which, one in Bangalore was a wash-out and there hasn’t been a single fifty-plus score even when he got a chance to come out within the first 10 overs. If Iyer gets a go in the last two games, he has no option, but to put his best foot forward as the Asia Cup team, in all probability, will also be the likely team for the T20 World Cup. Even if Iyer makes the cut for Asia Cup or T20 World Cup, there is a miniscule chance of him getting a first XI look-in in a jam-packed top-order.
Rohit may be available
While Suryakumar Yadav’s awe-inspiring shots left all and sundry wide-eyed, he is expected to have his skipper Rohit Sharma for company at the top of the order. In the third game in Basseterre, Rohit was forced to retire hurt with a back spasm when he was batting on 11 and it was more like a precautionary measure with a three-day gap in between games.
34
No. of runs scored by Shreyas Iyer in three T20Is against WI
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