Last month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) brought a mandate. The major focus seemed to be making sure that international cricketers spend time honing their skills in domestic cricket. The mandate got both positive and negative feedback. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma played in the Ranji Trophy after that, and so did other stars like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Shreyas Iyer overcomes short-ball weakness
Shreyas Iyer, who has been currently part of the India cricket team’s ODI setup, has indirectly backed BCCI’s mandate. We all know the middle-order batter had a major weakness, which was the short. He was exposed a few times across formats. Since getting dropped from Test cricket, Shreyas has been working on his skills in domestic cricket.
This season (2024-25), Shreyas Iyer has played all three main tournaments for Mumbai and done well. Since returning, we have seen the Punjab Kings batter handle the short balls incredibly well and not be dismissed facing those short-pitched deliveries in the India vs. England ODI series.
Previously he would go too hard when someone tried to bounce, seemingly looking to hit every ball out of the park, but now he’s found the middle ground. He himself explained that it isn’t the sixes that are giving him confidence but the fact that he can easily manoeuvre the strike now.
“The break I got in between when I was working with the domestic team, I also got some time to work on my technique. Especially the drop-in shots, which got me singles, not the pulls and cuts; that was more satisfying for me,” Shreyas Iyer said after the match.
Shreyas Iyer stats in the India vs England ODI series
| Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 181 | 60.33 | 123.12 | 2 | 78 |
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