Shreyas Iyer was the only Indian batsman to score more than 25 in the first T20I against England.
Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar feels that Shreyas Iyer should play all the T20Is for India till the upcoming T20 World Cup, supposed to be held later this year.
Team India struggled with the bat in the first T20I against England at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. Shreyas Iyer was the lone man standing for the hosts with a 48-ball 67 as the next highest scorer was Rishabh Pant with 21. A total of 124/7 was never enough as the English batsmen chased it down in the 16th over.
Sanjay Bangar told Star Sports, "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."
"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."
IND v ENG 2021: New batting philosophy won’t change, need to execute plans properly – Shreyas Iyer
"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," he added.
Bangar went on to praise some of the shots played by Iyer in the first T20I. He particularly liked the cut shot for a maximum. He also praised the Mumbaikar for taking his time out there in the middle as wickets kept falling around him.
The 48-year-old said, "He made room to play the cover drive and then his favourite shot of going across and playing the flicks to the leg side, the balance was very good. He also played the cut shot for a huge six."
"So, he can play all around the wicket and he has a very good understanding. He was the player who gave himself time because of the situation and tried to play with timing and because of that was able to play a brilliant 67-run knock," he concluded.