Former India cricketer-turned commentator Aakash Chopra isn’t happy with Shreyas Iyer’s batting position in the ongoing five-match T20I series against England, but said the talented cricketer has no other option but to bat at “whatever position given to him”.
Iyer generally bats at the no.4 position but in the ongoing T20I series against England the Mumbai star didn’t get his preferred batting position and his batting form was found to decline at home.
Batting at No.5 in the first T20I, Shreyas made more than half the runs that Team India scored against England, scoring 67 off 48 balls to take the hosts to a respectable total of 124 runs that eventually they couldn’t defend and suffered a heavy defeat of 8 wickets in Ahmedabad.
In the second T20I, the 26-year-old didn’t get to bat much as India chased down 166 at the expense of just three wickets against England. But, the right-hander was subsequently dropped to the No.6 in the third and fourth T20I and he could manage only 9 and 37 runs respectively.
Chopra told ESPNCricinfo: “He does not have any other option. As they say, if you are pushed into the water, you don't have any other option but to swim as the other option is to drown. So he has to bat at whatever position was given to him.”
He further said Shreyas isn’t batting at the ideal batting posting and not the right spot for him but is making the most of the given opportunity while pointing out India has “so many top-order batsmen” that even Virat Kohli isn’t getting to bat at his preferred batting position
The commentator further explained, “Whether it is ideal, definitely not because in the first match he had scored 67 when India made 124. So the player who made more than half the runs, you didn't send him up the order but further down. He was batting at No.5 there, now he is batting at No.6.
No.6 is not the right spot for him, he has batted well, you need to pat his back but he is not a long-term option at the position you are making him bat.
Shreyas is making the best use of the opportunity given to him but it is not the best number for him and it is slightly a problem of their own making because there are so many top-order batsmen that even Kohli is not getting to bat at his preferred batting slot.”
He signed off by saying, “It is probably working here because he batted well and he got more chances as well because you lost a lot of early wickets.
But generally, you don't lose so many wickets early in T20 cricket in which case the No.6 batsman will not be utilized at all because you will push him further down and send Hardik Pandya ahead of him.”
