Irfan Pathan reckons that Shreyas Iyer has struggled against pace throughout the ongoing T20I series against South Africa. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has pointed out that Shreyas Iyer has struggled a little against bowlers with extra pace in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa.
Irfan Pathan said that while Shreyas Iyer is comfortable against spin and medium pace, he gets unsettled against genuine fast bowling as was evident in the ongoing T20I series against Proteas.
Irfan Pathan: Shreyas Iyer Has Struggled Against Pace
Shreyas Iyer had a brilliant run with the bat in the T20I series against Sri Lanka, but he has failed to make much of an impact in the ongoing South Africa series. Notably, he has managed scores of 36, 40, 14, and 4 in the four T20Is against South Africa.
“Yes obviously, he has struggled against pace, not only in this series but in quite a few matches (before that). Even in the IPL, we have seen that when it comes to fast bowlers who are bowling 140-plus, he has struggled a little. His strike rate has also gone down,” Pathan told Star Sports.
“He likes to play against spinners and if you are bowling less than 140 kph, he is very much comfortable. But the one area of his game he needs to improve is facing the fast bowlers, especially when the ball comes close to his shoulders,” Pathan added.
Shreyas Iyer has scored 94 runs in the 4 T20Is to date averaging 23.5, with a top score of 40. While he has taken the Proteas spinners to the cleaners, he has been kept on a tight leash by their pacers.
In the previous T20I series against Sri Lanka, Shreyas Iyer continued his red-hot form and scored his third consecutive half-century of the series. Shreyas Iyer hit 204 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 174 through the series and claimed the Player of the Series trophy for those efforts.
He kicked off the series with an unbeaten knock of 57. In the 2nd T20I, he scored 74* off 44 as India chased down the big target of 184. In the 3rd T20I, the right-handed batsman breached the 50-run mark off 29 balls.
Irfan Pathan Backed Shreyas Iyer For Contributions In First-Class Cricket And For Indian Team
Irfan Pathan backed Shreyas Iyer, saying that he is a brilliant batter who has grabbed his opportunities very well in recent times. Shreyas Iyer made his Test debut on 25 November 2021, for India against New Zealand. He scored a maiden century playing against the New Zealand team. He became the 16th Indian player to score a century in the debut Test match.
“As far as his first-class cricket is concerned, he averages over 50. He is a brilliant batter and he has performed really well. As much as he has got a chance of batting at No. 3, he has played his part. His numbers are really good, especially in the last few months, for India as well.”
Shreyas Iyer will look to make an impact in the deciding T20I against South Africa, which will be played in Bengaluru on Sunday (June 19). Shreyas Iyer averages above 30 in each format having played 4 Tests, 26 ODIs, and 40 T20Is.