Shreyas Iyer’s trouble against short deliveries has been well documented. And that’s why South Africa will be a litmus test for him in Test cricket. With no Cheteshwar Pujara around, Iyer is likely to be India’s No 3. And before he takes on that challenge in the IND vs SA 1st Test starting Dec 26, India team management set him a task. Throwdown specialists hurled him short-pitch deliveries from 18 yards as Iyer tried to negotiate the bounce.
While the 18-yard throwdown was a special practice drill for all batters in Sunday’s practice, focus was on Shreyas Iyer.
South African pitches will offer pace and bounce for prolonged periods and Iyer will need to overcome his shortcomings. He did work on that in the World Cup and was a successful batter for Team India with 530 runs in 11 innings including two centuries.
Even in the only ODI he featured in the IND vs SA series, he scored a 45-ball 52. But Test cricket will be a different challenge.
So far, Shreyas Iyer has had a lukewarm run in Test cricket. In seven matches at home so far, he has scored 430 runs at an average of 39.09 including a century and three fifties. But he did not succeed in the only Test against England in Birmingham. And he did struggle against the seam.
Now, in South Africa, he has a task to not only get rid of the demon but also seal his spot in the Test side.
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