IND vs SA 2022: Shreyas Iyer will lose his spot when Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav return - Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer has opined on top-order batter Shreyas Iyer's possible position in India's T20I side once regular No. 3 Virat Kohli and the in-form Suryakumar Yadav return to the fold. The former opener feels that unless Iyer shows "really great form" in his remaining chances, he will have to be content with sitting on the bench.
Kohli has been rested for India's ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa at home. Whereas Suryakumar, after scoring 303 runs from just eight IPL 2022 matches, is out with an injury. In their absence, Iyer batted at No. 3 and racked up 36 (27) and 40 (35) in India's first two T20Is against South Africa before scoring 14 (11) in the third game.
In an interaction with ESPNcricinfo after the third match, Jaffer was asked whether Iyer would lose his place if Kohli and Suryakumar return. He replied:
"I think, yes. Suryakumar Yadav, if he's fit, walks into Team India and Virat Kohli will be back at No. 3 as well so unless he shows really great form, Shreyas Iyer will lose his spot."
Kohli is all but irreplaceable despite his recent troubles which left Iyer in direct competition with Suryakumar. Currently, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain's issues against high-pace and his tendency to lose shape against the short-ball are hurting his case for the 2022 T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by Australia.
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While Iyer will likely still be a part of the full squad as a batting backup, two other players in the current team - Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad - are vying to be the reserve openers. But Jaffer feels both youngsters could be on that flight to Australia for different positions. He said:
"Yes, they will be candidates. When KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma return, Ishan Kishan could perhaps be a backup wicketkeeper after Rishabh Pant and Gaikwad [could be there too]. You take 18-20 players so perhaps both could be there."
India took a 15-member main squad, which included Kishan, and three reserves, including Iyer, for the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. If the selectors decide to go for just one of Kishan and Gaikwad then, based on the current series, the former seems to have an edge, with his chart-topping 164 runs and an average of 54.67 trumping the latter's 81 runs at 27.00 after the same number of games.
"Rishabh Pant just needs better clarity and approach" - Wasim Jaffer
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Speaking on Pant, who has struggled to get going this series with just 40 runs and an average of 13.33, Jaffer denied any concerns about the youngster's batting style not being suited to the T20 format. Instead, he said, Pant just needs better clarity and approach, which will only happen with time and experience. Jaffer said:
"His game is completely suited to T20s, he just needs a bit better clarity and a bit better approach to his game. The more matches he plays, the better he'll get."
India's win in the third T20I means the scoreline now reads 2-1. The fourth match will be another must-win for the hosts and will begin at 7:00 pm IST in Rajkot on Friday, 17 June.
Also Read: “Rishabh used 6 overs of spin in the first 10 overs” - Zaheer Khan praises Indian captain for “different” tactics in 3rd T20I vs South Africa