"Nothing is certain except Death, taxes, and Iyer getting out on short ball" - Twitterati disappointed with Shreyas Iyer's repeated mode of dismissals
Team India batter Shreyas Iyer fell prey to a short-pitched delivery once again as it was the cause for his dismissal in the first ODI against Bangladesh on Sunday, December 4. Shreyas scored 24 runs off 39 deliveries before departing in the 20th over off Ebadot Hossain's bowling.
The short ball continues to haunt Shreyas across formats and conditions, making it a constant menace despite his good run of form of late. The right-handed batter, who is Team India's second-highest run-scorer in ODIs this year, was primed to play a pivotal role at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium following a top-order collapse.
He came into bat at No. 4 after Rohit Sharma's dismissal in the 10th over. Shreyas took his time on a sluggish surface and had KL Rahul for company at the other end. Mustafizur Rahman and Ebadot constantly tested Shreyas.
Ebadot, who was able to hit the deck hard with his height, pulled the trigger with a lethal short ball yet again on the final delivery of his fifth over. The ploy worked as Shreyas was drawn into the pull shot, but could not judge the bounce or get his timing right and only managed an outside edge. Mushfiqur Rahim safely claimed the catch behind the stumps to send the batter back into the pavilion.
Indian fans were in unison over the player's short-ball woes after watching him get dismissed in the same manner over and over again. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
Shreyas Iyer facing short balls... https://t.co/I5R7fdq8mw
Shreyas Iyer has been playing international cricket for so long and he still doesn't know how to play short balls. Common @BCCI give half that many chances to Sanju Samson.
And what is a 40 year old Dhawan doing in ODI team. Don't we already have a unfit opener
@BCCI Well done BCCI
YOU still play Iyer ....
He CANT handle short bowling ..... EVEN IN SUB CONTINENT conditions
Really strange .... this absurd persistence
iyer dismissed on bouncer in dust Bowl
@mufaddal_vohra Shreyas Iyer when he sees short balls https://t.co/Ci5B099e11
Iyer needs to take a leaf out of Raina's book
Bowler bowls short pitch delivery...
Shreyas Iyer : https://t.co/KqWyuh6n2U
Nothing is certain except Death, taxes and Iyer getting out for short ball.
The plan has worked for Bangladesh. The nightmare of short ball dismissals continues for Shreyas Iyer yet again. This is international cricket; every team is watching you closely. Ebadot was bowling bouncers from his first over.
#INDvsBAN
#CricketTwitter
Shreyas Iyer and short ball..This is so ugly to see. You can't see any improvement and if you can't handle short ball even in this kind of slow surface and against these medium fast bowlers then you are done and dusted.
#BANvIND #INDvsBAN
🤣🤣Just when i was thinking maybe Iyer can just find a way around that weakness of his.. he does this😭🤣🤣
Iyer bhai never enters any club/pub coz it has bouncers at the door.
Shreyas Iyer and short balls, still a better love story than Twilight !!! #BanvsInd
*Short ball exist*
Shreyas Iyer :-
#INDvsBAN https://t.co/nwrh6uY9qD
Shreyar Iyer.
Short ball.
Out.
Very soon,spinners will bowl a bouncer at this flat track bully.
Team India in trouble after Shreyas Iyer's dismissal
Shreyas and Rahul negotiated the initial phase of the middle overs after India lost their top order inside 11 overs. Placed in a perilous situation at 49-3 at one stage, the pair stitched together a 43-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Shreyas' dismissal reduced India to 92-4 in 20 overs. The absence of Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, and Suryakumar Yadav in the squad has arguably resulted in a thin batting order. However, to compensate for the lack of genuine batters, Team India have bolstered their playing XI with all-rounders.
Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, and Shardul Thakur have all proved their credentials with the bat in the past.
How should the batter approach the short-pitched delivery moving forward? Let us know what you think.