2011 World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has criticized Indian batter Shreyas Iyer for his irresponsible performance against Australia stating that the number 4 batter must handle the pressure in the game. The 28-year-old was dismissed for a duck in India’s opening match in Chennai, giving the Men in Blue some trouble.
Shreyas Iyer was touted to be cautious and make a solid knock in spin-friendly conditions with the score at 2/2. However, the batter only had to face two pitches before leaving for the pavilion. The India No.4 batter sliced the ball straight to David Warner at cover, putting his team in a tight situation.
Taking his X social media handle, Yuvraj Singh wrote about the significance of the No. 4 batter in India’s lineup for the marquee event. In addition, the former Indian all-rounder thought that wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul should have entered the batting order before Iyer.
Three of India’s top four batters were removed for ducks, a first in ODI cricket to put the team in the spot of the bother in the opening game, and predicted that Virat Kohli’s drop catch would cost the match for the five-time champions.
No 4 batsman has to absorb the pressure !! Need better thinking from @ShreyasIyer15 when team is trying to rebuild their innings ! Still don’t understand why @klrahul is not batting at no 4 ! After scoring a 100 against Pakistan ! Dropping @imVkohli might cost australia big time…
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) October 8, 2023
“No 4 batsman has to absorb the pressure !! Need better thinking from@ShreyasIyer15 when team is trying to rebuild their innings ! Still don’t understand why @klrahul is not batting at no 4 ! After scoring a 100 against Pakistan ! Dropping @imVkohli might cost Australia big time, don’t drop the king cause he can take the game away. Game on!!,” Yuvraj Singh said.
Shreyas Iyer worked hard in recovering from surgery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, the star batter has made the most of the opportunities he has received over the years to cement his place in the playing 11-over Suryakumar Yadav but failed to make an impact for the team in the pressure situation and would look to come good for the forthcoming games in the ODI World Cup.
Yuvraj Singh was right on the money about the prediction when he said that Virat Kohli’s drop catch would have a significant impact on the game, and the former India captain made the most of the opportunity to play a fantastic knock against Australia. The 34-year-old scored 85 off 116 balls, and Rahul was unbeaten on 97 (115) as India defeated the five-time world champions by six wickets and the Men in Blue will turn up against Afghanistan in their second game on Wednesday.