Found in Indore after being lost in Colombo: Shreyas Iyer
Even if he brings a joyful headache, the middle-order batsman checks off the final obvious box in India’s World Cup preparation.
How much might change in just two weeks! India had seven matches to get their act together as they entered the home stretch of their World Cup preparations in Colombo. Questions seemed to be endless, ranging from unsolved puzzles to fitness and combinations.
India has long held out hope that there will be a rainbow at the end of the dark tunnel they have been in. India, who will be captained by Rohit Sharma, appear to be a well-oiled machine as they prepare to play Australia on Wednesday in their final matchup before the World Cup gets underway on October 5.
India has been finding answers to their challenges day by day since their match against Pakistan. The most recent is Shreyas Iyer’s performance, whose century in the most recent ODI at Indore restored confidence in the middle-order batsman among the Indian team management. Since March, Shreyas has been unable to move due to a back issue, and he has been working to get healthy in time for the World Cup.
He then experienced yet another setback during the Asia Cup return series. India has been patiently waiting on Shreyas despite having Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav as backup, particularly because he gives stability that few others in the middle order can.
Putting pressure on
In addition to his capacity to apply pressure to the opposition in the event of an early breakdown, Shreyas is also effective against pace and spin. Fast bowlers will undoubtedly attempt to rough him up with short deliveries, but Shreyas has proven in the limited-overs matches that he is capable of overcoming those obstacles.
Shreyas offers the much-needed balance in a middle-order when KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya are present and adaptability is the rule rather than the exception. India can control the tempo in the middle overs, where spinners will primarily play, thanks to Shreyas.
The one problem India has had over the past two weeks is how their batting order handles spinners in slow, spinner-friendly conditions. India’s biggest problem under these circumstances has been their failure to rotate the strike, which results in dot balls and pressure. Although Suryakumar Yadav, who has unmistakably blossomed in this format, is also adept against spinners, Shreyas still appears to be in the lead due in large part to his adaptability.
In case of early wickets, India would expect their No. 4 to play the kind of spectacular knock that he did on Sunday, when he smashed 105 runs off 90 deliveries. Since there are no left-handed players in the lineup, spinners have had an easier time tying up India’s batsmen in the middle overs because they rarely utilize their feet to advance down the track.
Shreyas is an exception, on the other hand. Against spinners, the 28-year-old prefers to play over the top and makes good use of his feet. He can also hit both with and against the turn. He repeatedly put leg-spinner Adam Zampa under stress by going over mid-wicket in the last game, forcing him to change the line.
joyful headache
It’s another question entirely whether his return to form makes things worse, especially if the top-order is in fine shape. In this case, India might consider Shreyas to be a luxury and replace her at No. 6 with Suryakumar to cause even more harm.
India will have one more chance to assess how the team is progressing on Wednesday. Even though India only has 13 players to choose from, Rohit and Virat Kohli’s return means that their batting lineup won’t be at full strength. Many of our players are ill or otherwise unavailable. Many of the players had to return home due to personal issues, and some of the players also needed some relaxation. Currently, we have 13 players,” Rohit stated during the pre-game press conference.
India would probably add a handful of local Saurashtra players to the reserve team if no players are added to the roster. Axar Patel, who was meant to join the team for the ODI, is still recovering while Shubman Gill and Shardul Thakur were dismissed from the squad. The fact that several of the players are ill with a viral illness, according to Rohit, adds to the difficulty. The team is experiencing some viral activity as well. Therefore, there is a great deal of uncertainty in the team at this time, which we cannot change, he continued.
Rajkot would serve as a type of dress rehearsal for both nations’ World Cup match, which is scheduled to take place in less than 10 days. Even though both clubs are missing a number of vital players, Wednesday’s game would be crucial for exchanging psychological blows.
