[Watch] Shreyas Iyer bowls off-spin in nets ahead of 1st IND vs SL ODI
Shreyas Iyer rolled his arms in the nets ahead of the opening ODI between India and Sri Lanka at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday, July 31. The part-time spinner was seen bowling off-spin as the Men in Blue sweat it out in the practice session.
Notably, Iyer has bowled 125 deliveries in international cricket. He, however, has yet to take a wicket. But the 29-year-old has scalped 10 wickets in domestic or league cricket.
Watch the video below:
Shreyas Iyer's bowling in the nets comes days after T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh delivered with the ball in the final T20I against Sri Lanka. The two part-time bowlers took two wickets each in their respective one-over spells to help India tie the match before the visitors won in the Super Over.
The move came under new head coach Gautam Gambhir, who began his stint with Team India with a bang by guiding the team to a 3-0 win against Sri Lanka in the T20Is.
Shreyas Iyer was last seen in action for India against South Africa, scoring 52 runs. Before that, the right-hander amassed 530 runs in 11 innings with the help of two centuries and three fifties at the 2023 ODI World Cup. Overall, he has 2383 runs in 54 ODI innings at an average of 49.65, including five tons and 18 half-centuries.
Iyer alongside KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shivam Dube will make a formidable middle order for the Men in Blue.
“We need to still get better on playing on wickets like these” – Gautam Gambhir hints spinners might play a big role as Shreyas Iyer bowling in nets
Gautam Gambhir recently credited India for their fighting effort with the ball in the third T20I. The reaction as spinners played a big role in the victory. The 42-year-old recently said in a video released by BCCI after the T20I series (via IANS):
"We keep getting better, we keep improving our skills as well because we need to still get better on playing on wickets like these because we might end up getting these kind of wickets (in future). So we should first assess the situation and conditions really quickly and what is the par score as well.”
Apart from Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube and Riyan Parag can also bowl in the ODI series against Sri Lanka.