"His inclusion or exclusion has become a billion-dollar question now" - Pragyan Ojha on the possibility of Shreyas Iyer retaining his place for the 2nd India vs New Zealand Test
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha has discussed the prospect of Shreyas Iyer retaining his position for the second Test in Mumbai. With Virat Kohli's return imminent, the fate of other middle-order batsmen, including Iyer, is in doubt.
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Shreyas Iyer was adjudged the Man of the Match for his stellar set outing in his debut Test. Ojha reasoned that the fate of Shreyas Iyer depends on the team management's thinking. While speaking on Cricbuzz, Ojha said:
"The inclusion or exclusion of Shreyas Iyer has become a billion-dollar question now. He has played really well and is strongly pushing his case and I also believe he should be there, but we don't know what the combination would be or what the team management might be thinking. Shreyas Iyer has made good use of his opportunity, so much that the prospect of dropping him has to be considered four or even five times."
The pitch in Mumbai has generally offered a lot more pace and bounce when compared to Kanpur, due to its fundamental red soil build. Moreover, it is also Shreyas Iyer's home ground.
The pressure on the experienced middle-order duo of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane continues to mount after yet another poor set of outings. Ojha, however, feels that it could potentially be a rash decision to disrupt the middle-order despite their poor form, since the team is performing well. Ojha added:
"Is it the right time to shuffle the middle order? It is very tricky. At the end of the day, we see the results. This team has done well in Australia, England, and WTC. After all this, you have to think whether it is necessary to press the emergency button. It is easy to back a new coming well-performing player but that luxury and comfort has come due to the performance of the previous players."
Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav are the talented players waiting on the sidelines, eyeing a potential spot in the middle order.
New Zealand will get a lot of confidence from this result: Ojha
New Zealand managed to scrape through a draw by a single wicket. Last-wicket pair Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel survived a spin barrage lasting 8.4 overs to keep the series scoreline level at 0-0. Ojha noted that the survival act will give New Zealand a lot of confidence since they defied the odds. Ojha added:
"New Zealand will get a lot of confidence from this result. If we see the stats, it has been a long while since a team have been able to draw a Test in India in such a situation. India will be disappointed, they had the game in their grasp."
New Zealand survive and it's a DRAW in Kanpur.
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Both teams will head to the Wankhede in Mumbai for the second Test with the series very much alive. The contest is slated to begin on December 3.