T20 World Cup 2022: "He is not completely out of the race" - Aakash Chopra on Shreyas Iyer's place in India's middle order
Aakash Chopra reckons Shreyas Iyer is not yet out of the race for a spot in India's T20 World Cup squad.
Shreyas is not part of the 15-member Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 to be played in the UAE from August 27. He is, however, one among the three reserves picked for the tournament.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on the middle-order batting options for Team India for the upcoming World Cup. He had the following to say about Shreyas:
"Shreyas Iyer's international numbers from the last World Cup are outstanding. His name is not here (Asia Cup) but he has a very strong case. He has played 17 matches after the T20 World Cup, 479 runs at an average of nearly 40 and a strike rate of 140. In my understanding, he is not completely out of the race."
Chopra highlighted that the Kolkata Knight Riders skipper has been picked as one of the reserves despite his slightly below-par IPL numbers and travails against the short ball. The cricketer-turned-commentator elaborated:
"The IPL numbers were slightly underwhelming, not that much. 14 matches - 401 runs at an average of nearly 31 and a strike rate of 135. It is a fair thing that he has problems against the short ball but numbers are not that bad. That is why he is the reserves list."
Shreyas Iyer would find it difficult to make India's T20 World Cup squad unless any of the other specialist batters are ruled out of the tournament. The Mumbaikar's issues against short-pitched bowling can be further exploited by opposition pacers on bouncy Australian tracks.
"He is running first and people are running behind him" - Aakash Chopra on Suryakumar Yadav
On the flip side, Aakash Chopra feels Suryakumar Yadav's place in the Indian middle order is beyond doubt. He reasoned:
"Suryakumar Yadav has played 15 matches in which he has scored 491 runs at an average of 35 and a strike rate of 181. That's it, game over, finished. There is no question on his name. He is not in the race, he is running first and people are running behind him."
Chopra pointed out that the Mumbai Indians batter stood out in the limited matches he played for the franchise in IPL 2022. The 44-year-old observed:
"He played only eight matches in the IPL, was injured, he scored 303 runs at a strike rate of 146 and an average of 43. He scored 303 runs in just eight matches while Kohli scored 341 in 16 matches. So now you understand how far ahead Suryakumar Yadav has suddenly gone."
Suryakumar Yadav's T20i Ranking after:
- 1st match - 1,178th.
- 5th match - 77th.
- 10th match - 60th.
- 15th match - 49th.
- 20th match - 4th.
- 22nd match - 2nd.
Yadav enjoys an exceptional record for Team India in T20I cricket. The unconventional stroke-maker has smashed 672 runs at an impressive average of 37.33 and an outstanding strike rate of 175.45 in the 23 T20Is he has played.