Shreyas Iyer has revealed that he would love to bat at No. 3 for India but has no problem batting down the order as one has to be flexible in order to succeed at the international level.
With skipper Virat Kohli establishing himself as one of the best No. 3 batsmen in limited-overs cricket, Shreyas Iyer has primarily batted at number four in the 22 ODI matches he’s played so far.
Shreyas Iyer Would Love To Bat At No. 3 Since He Bats There For Mumbai In Domestic Cricket
Speaking ahead of the first ODI against England, Shreyas Iyer said that owing to the strong competition for batting spots in the Indian team competing with the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, and KL Rahul, one has to put their best foot forward irrespective of the batting position.
“Obviously, I’d love to bat at number three since that’s where I bat in domestic cricket (for Mumbai). But currently it’s next to impossible. You need to be flexible if you’re playing at the highest level and I’m really enjoying the current atmosphere in the team.
“Everyone is really determined to do their best. If you don’t do well, there are a lot of other players ready to steal your position. You need to put your best foot forward and give your best for the team,” the 26-year-old said.
Shreyas Iyer was one of the many positives for India during their recent T20I series win over England. With India experimenting with their batting line-up in the shortest format, Shreyas Iyer batted at No. 5 or 6 and was fairly successful in upping the tempo at the death. He amassed 121 runs in 5 games averaging 40.33.
Shreyas Iyer: Since T20 Has Been The Main Format Looking At T20 World Cup, One Has To Keep That Positive Frame Of Mind
Speaking about the challenges of batting in different formats, Shreyas Iyer said that with the T20 World Cup coming up in October, he would be looking to continue batting positively in the ODI series too.
“To be honest, it’s a completely different challenge because in ODIs you have to give yourself a bit of time and see that the team is in good position. But now, since T20 has been the main format loking at the upcoming World Cup, we have to keep that positive frame of mind. My personal mindset is that I get to choose the balls I can punish and later on I can easily cover up,” Shreyas Iyer added.
While India pipped England in the Test and T20I series, defeating the 50-over world champions in a format which they have revolutionized will be a huge confidence boost for the young Indian side.
Admitting that it is a great opportunity for India to test themselves against the No. 1 ranked team in the world, Shreyas Iyer said that he’s not too intimidated and just tries to give his best irrespective of the opposition.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to beat the number 1 side in the world. To be honest, I don’t look at the opposition or the bowler. You just go there and try to play your best cricket. Really looking forward to this exciting series,” concluded Shreyas Iyer.
Shreyas Iyer stated that a batsman needs to be flexible and needs to be ready to play according to the demands of the situation. India scored 317/5 in 50 overs as Shikhar Dhawan (98), Virat Kohli (56), KL Rahul (62*), and Krunal Pandya (58*) scored half-centuries. Shreyas Iyer though failed to increase the run rate by scoring only 6 off 9 balls.
England won the toss and opted to bowl first in the 1st ODI. Prasidh Krishna and Krunal Pandya have been handed their ODI caps. KL Rahul will keep wickets for India as there is no Rishabh Pant.
India XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna