The former Indian fast bowler has made a decision on who should bat at no.4 for India.
Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer played an excellent knock against West Indies on Sunday during India's 59-run victory in the second ODI at Port-of-Spain.
This was Iyer's comeback match in the ODI cricket in the Indian squad and he impressed everyone with his brilliant performance with the bat. After Rishabh Pant threw away his wicket cheaply again, Shreyas came in the bat at no.5 and scored 68-ball 71 for the Men In Blue.
This was a strong statement from the Mumbai cricketer who looked fairly comfortable against the Windies bowling attack and cricket experts now want to see him bat at no.4 for India.
Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan too came out and backed the idea of Iyer batting at No. 4 and said Pant should come in late which will help the wicketkeeper-batsman to play his natural game.
Zaheer said during the post-match podcast of IND vs WI, “Virat at the toss had already said that there is some flexibility regarding the number four spot. And it has been a trend of the past couple of years, if someone has played a good innings at a different number, he has been promoted. So, Shreyas Iyer, I think will naturally get that promotion to the number four position which will work better for Rishabh Pant in due course.”
Team India's hunt for the perfect no.4 batsman is still on as Kohli is looking for someone who will provide a balance to his side. With no Dhoni in the squad, Rishabh Pant was drafted in as the designated wicket-keeper batsman for the West Indies tour and has been batting at no.4.
But, the left-hander has failed to perform for the national side so far during the entire series, with just one half-century under his belt. Pant is an aggressive batsman and fits the T20 format of the game perfectly, Iyer, on the other hand, is much more calmer and collective with the bat and would be a perfect fit for that much experimented no.4 spot in India's batting lineup.
“In T20 formats, you have seen the kind of power he has. His impact comes with that power and if he is batting at number five, it kind of helps in a natural scenario, of a T20 simulation of sorts. At that stage with 15-16 overs to go or 20 overs to go, he can have that natural instinct going,” Zaheer added.
“You’ve seen Rishabh Pant when he was looking to build that innings, he was looking a bit confused of sorts. He likes to be aggressive but because he is in that situation he is trying to prove otherwise. He is moving away from his natural style of play and looking to collect those singles, doubles,” he said.
Gautam Gambhir has also expressed his desire to see Shreyas Iyer batting at No.4 for India as he believes that he is the key to solving the national side's longstanding middle-order problems.
"I have spent time with him in the Delhi Capitals' dressing room. He has the setup and the works to succeed at this. I just hope he gets a consistent run rather than a truncated one," he said.
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 "Zaheer Khan and Shreyas Iyer")
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