Shreyas Iyer was the only shining light for India in an otherwise woeful batting performance against England in the first T20I on Friday. Indian batsmen fell like a pack of cards as the hosts were restricted on a paltry 124/7 in 20 overs enabling Eoin Morgan & Co. to win the game comfortably by eight wickets after a successful run-chase inside 15.3 overs.
Iyer played shots all around the ground and looked in great touch en-route to his 67 off 48 balls laced with 8 fours and a solitary six. However, his efforts were not enough to propel India to a match-winning total. Nonetheless, with his performance, Iyer further consolidated his spot in the middle order and earned praise from many including ex-India batting coach Sanjay Bangar.
Backing him to be India’s no.4 for T20 World Cup in India later this year, Bangar praised Iyer’s sublime knock and said he should not be under pressure in regards to his spot in the Indian team. With Suryakumar Yadav also in the fray to bat at no.4, many believe Iyer’s spot might be in danger but the right-hander settled the debate to an extent on Friday.
“He batted in a brilliant fashion and it was under pressure. He was also sent down the order because Rishabh Pant was promoted. He is a very consistent player and there should not be any pressure on him for his place in the team because he is a player who can play responsibly and can play the big shots,” said Bangar on Star Sports.
“If you have seen since 2019, if a player has been given chances at No.4 or No.5, it is Shreyas Iyer. Yes, he had a slightly below-par series in Australia but if you play so many matches, two or three failures can happen. I feel this player should continue playing all the T20 matches till the World Cup because the more confidence you give him, the better he will keep getting,” the former India batting coach added.
