"Pretty much everyone knows that the bowler will bowl short to him" - Parthiv Patel on Shreyas Iyer's short-ball woesย
Former India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel believes Shreyas Iyer should address his issues with the short ball as soon as possible.
Iyer's weakness against short-pitched bowling has persisted as he fell prey to it over the course of the ongoing England tour. His latest dismissal in the third T20I at Trent Bridge on Sunday (July 10) also involved a similar delivery.
Bowling a bouncer has become the bowler's go-to weapon against the middle-order batter. While Iyer is highly proficient against spin bowlers, he is yet to assume command over short-pitched pace bowling.
Toppers breaks the partnership!
A thrilling finish in store here at Trent Bridge.
Scorecard/clips: ms.spr.ly/6011b0siU
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ #ENGvIND ๐ฎ๐ณ https://t.co/VgSy2EVgI1
Noting that Shreyas Iyer could have taken on more responsibility during his 119-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav, Parthiv Patel said on Cricbuzz:
"I think he should have taken more responsibility. The way he is trying to move away and pull the ball, I feel he is a better player than that. He has the ability to play better. He could think about his shot selection. Now pretty much everyone knows that the bowler will bowl short to him."
Patel added:
"He has to decide whether to attack it or survive by taking singles, otherwise, he will remain exposed."
Iyer scored 28 runs off 23 deliveries while Suryakumar Yadav, who ended with 117 off 55 balls, exploded from the other end. The 28-year-old was dismissed after he was caught behind while in an awkward position to play Reece Topley's bouncer in the 16th over.
"The plan against Shreyas Iyer is too obvious at this point of time" - RP Singh
Shreyas Iyer came into the Indian line-up in place of Hardik Pandya with the series already won but never looked settled at the crease. His issues with pace bowling, coupled with the T20 World Cup taking place in Australia, makes his spot in the squad vulnerable.
Switch ๐ค๐ฎ๐ณ https://t.co/EzYnX5MR27
Opining that Iyer should focus on rotating the strike when encountered with the short ball, former bowler RP Singh, who was also on the Cricbuzz Panel, said:
"The plan against Shreyas Iyer is too obvious at this point in time. It is not possible every time to move outside the leg stump and hit those short deliveries. I think he should look to score a single off those deliveries, and not even try to score a boundary. If he does not, his graph will dip very soon."
Iyer will have another chance to counter his short-ball woes in the upcoming ODI series against England. The Men In Blue are scheduled to take on England in the first ODI on Tuesday (July 12) at The Oval.