0, 25*, 53*, 19, 33 & 4: Shreyas Iyer has had a pretty average Cricket World Cup so far. And average is something that India Cricket Team is not looking at, especially with Ishan Kishan warming the bench and coming in as a substitute fielder. With IND vs SL ticket to the World Cup semifinals, the question is, will Rohit Sharma prefer his Mumbai teammate or Mumbai Indians teammate at the Wankhede Stadium?
What works for Ishan Kishan is his left-hand batting skills. The top 6 of Indian batting are all right-hander and a left-handed Ishan Kishan may be worth exploring. So far, Ishan has played two games with Shubman Gill recovering from dengue fever, scoring a duck and 47.
Shreyas Iyer on the opposite hand has averaged 33.50, striking at 84.81. But is it too early to take a call on Iyer?
Shreyas Iyer vs Ishan Kishan
- Since returning from his injury, Shreyas Iyer has hit a century and a half-century in 10 innings.
- But while he has had highs, he has had pretty bad lows as well.
- His struggle against short balls has once again resurfaced which he worked on following shoulder surgery.
- Trent Boult dismissed him with a short ball and in other games, he never looked comfortable. He has rather thrown his wicket away at every opportunity.
- And in Mumbai red-soil pitch, his weakness will only be exposed. The surface will have plenty of bounce.
- To eliminate the short-ball shortcomings, Rahul Dravid spent an extra session with Shreyas Iyer to practice against bouncers in Mumbai ahead of the IND vs SL game.
- First, he was up against left-arm throwdown specialist and then changed his approach. Instead of keeping the ball down, he went full-on Rohit Sharma, hitting the short deliveries for sixes.
- His challenger Ishan Kishan has done a great job over the last 12 months. Averaging 47.57, Ishan has had a good run in the senior’s absence.
- With a semifinal spot on the offing, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid now have a chance to rejig the combination against a weaker opponent in Sri Lanka.
- If Ishan Kishan does come into the Playing XI in IND vs SL game, he will occupy the No 5 slot. KL Rahul will get a promotion to No 4.
- Suryakumar Yadav will retain his place after a fine knock of 49 in a tough situation against England.
India Squad for Cricket World Cup 2023
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav
WKs: Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul (VC)
Seam all-rounders: Shardul Thakur
Spin all-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin
Seamers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Spinner: Kuldeep Yadav
