The former Pakistan skipper elaborated extensively on how the shortcomings might jeopardize the India batter's position in the Playing XI.
Presently on a six-match winning streak, Team India appears to be nearly invincible. They have demonstrated exceptional prowess in both setting and defending totals, as exemplified by their first five victories, where they batted first. This dominance was underscored in their latest encounter against England, where they restricted the opposing team to a mere 129 while defending a 230-run target, clinching the match by a substantial 100-run margin. Riding high on this scintillating form, India is confidently progressing towards the World Cup final, let alone the semi-finals.
While India has met and exceeded expectations on all fronts, with every player delivering match-winning performances, there is one exception—Shreyas Iyer. His recent scores of 0, 25, 53, 19, 33, and 4 have amounted to a total of 134 runs at an average of 33.5, batting in the pivotal No. 4 position. Although Iyer exhibited promise in the match against Pakistan, he once again succumbed to the short ball, a vulnerability that resurfaced in the subsequent encounter with New Zealand. In the recent game against England, he was dismissed in his attempt to execute a pull shot.
Shreyas Iyer’s string of missed opportunities has not gone unnoticed, particularly by former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq. Misbah-ul-Haq elaborated extensively on the challenges plaguing Iyer and how these shortcomings might jeopardize his position in India’s Playing XI.
“Hardik Pandya has to return too after being fit. From Day 1, I feel that KL Rahul at No. 5 is too late. He is a class player and should bat at No. 4. Once Hardik is back, Suryakumar Yadav can bat 6 and Jadeja 7. Then his (Iyer’s) selection would become difficult. He (Iyer) has scored runs; he is coming off a hundred against Australia, is rated high. But overall, his average against fast bowling is around 19-20 and when it comes to short balls, he is just not able to find it. When your weakness comes to the fore, all teams will exploit it,” Misbah said on A Sports.
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“He is expecting the short ball and many times, even against short-of-length balls which aren’t ideal for pulling, like the one against England, he goes for the shot. So, you are overthinking about the short ball and you are in trouble. See his front foot. After the initial movement, it goes nowhere. And he is in no position to play the short ball. And he doesn’t even try to avoid the short ball.”
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