India’s performance in the ongoing World Cup has been awe-inspiring, to say the least. The Men in Blue have won their six matches comprehensively so far against Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand and England.
While the Rohit Sharma-led side has ticked all boxes, middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer’s struggle against short ball remains the cause of concern for the hosts.
Batting at No. 4, Iyer has registered scores of 0, 25, 53, 19, 33 and 4 in six innings. The No. 4 batter has been targetted with short-pitched deliveries by most of the teams.
Iyer fell to the short ball against New Zealand in Dharamsala last week. He also threw away his wicket while attempting a pull shot versus England in Lucknow a couple of days back.
Shreyas Iyer’s weakness against short-pitched bowling has caught the attention of former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, who explained in detail about the Indian batter’s issue while speaking on A Sports.
"Hardik Pandya has to return too after being fit. From Day 1, I feel that KL Rahul at No. 5 is too late. He is a class player and should bat at No. 4. Once Hardik is back, Suryakumar Yadav can bat 6 and Jadeja 7. Then his (Iyer's) selection would become difficult. He (Iyer) has scored runs; he is coming off a hundred against Australia, is rated high. But overall, his average against fast bowling is around 19-20 and when it comes to short balls, he is just not able to find it. When your weakness comes to the fore, all teams will exploit it," Misbah said.
"He is expecting the short ball and many times, even against short-of-length balls which aren't ideal for pulling, like the one against England, he goes for the shot. So, you are overthinking about the short ball and you are in trouble. See his front foot. After the initial movement, it goes nowhere. And he is in no position to play the short ball. And he doesn't even try to avoid the short ball," he added.
Pakistan pace legend Wasim Akram, who was also part of the discussion on A Sports, echoed Misbah's opinion and delivered a well-timed reminder of Ishan Kishan, who is warming the bench after featuring in the first two games.
"Yeah, he has to perform because Ishan Kishan is sitting out and he is a left-hander. Remember the first game he played in the Asia Cup, he and Hardik Pandya struck a partnership. So he can bat in the middle order," Akram remarked.
In the absence of injured Hardik Pandya, India have played Suryakumar Yadav in the last two games. While the dashing right-hander was run out for just 2 in the match against New Zealand, he returned with an impressive knock of 49 runs versus England on a sluggish Lucknow track.
It will be interesting to see the combination India opt for once Hardik returns to the fold after regaining full fitness.
