Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer said that Shreyas Iyer might lose his spot in the Indian XI once Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli return. Iyer has to perform well if he intends to save his berth in the Indian team, said Jaffer.
The 27-year-old right-handed batter is batting at no. 3 in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa and has scored 90 runs in three innings with scores of 36 (27), 40 (35), and 14 (11) respectively.
Talking to ESPNCricinfo, Jaffer said: "Shreyas Iyer is batting at No. 3 and you always have expectations from your top-order players because [they] get to play more overs. In the last match, it was a very good [opening] partnership and you (Iyer) try to play more shots than usual to continue that momentum and take your team to the score of 190-200."
He further added, "But yes... he needs to be a bit better against fast bowling because they bowl short against him. The T20 World Cup is in Australia where there will be bounce and it won't be easy to score runs square of the wicket on the big grounds. He needs to focus on that and improve a bit."
Although Iyer has been one of India's best run-scorers in the series as yet, he has appeared uneasy against short-pitch deliveries from pacers.
Speaking of Iyer, Jaffer said, "His spot will always be up for grabs when Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav return to the team. But for now, he needs to play well in the next two matches for India to win the series."
According to experts, Iyer may struggle to handle short pitch deliveries on Australia's fast and bouncy surfaces during the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in October.
Iyer, according to Jaffer, could be called up to the T20 World Cup squad as a backup.
Jaffer said, "Yes, they will be candidates. When KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma return, Ishan Kishan could perhaps be a backup wicketkeeper after Rishabh Pant and Gaikwad [could be there too]. You take 18-20 players so perhaps both could be there."
When asked about the explosive wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, Jaffer remarked that his game is ideally suited to the T20 format, but that he needs a little more clarity and better shot selection.
(ESPNCricinfo inputs)
