The newly-appointed vice-captain of the India T20 side, Shreyas Iyer, is back after a break. In-form, on the top of his game, Shreyas Iyer is great news for India Cricket Team, right? Not really. The middle-order batter is back after a year. However, the question is who does he replace in the India Playing XI in IND vs AUS 4th T20I? The only apparent option seems to be Tilak Varma.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad have already hit the top gear with the latter hitting a century. Jaiswal has been the early aggressor with a strike rate 205.13. At No 3, Ishan Kishan is crucial as he is also the wicketkeeper. Captain Suryakumar Yadav has returned to his favourite format in style at No 4.
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The only spot for Shreyas Iyer is No 5: the position of Tilak Varma.
After 12 and 7, he the youngster finally got an opportunity to bat longer and scored 24-ball 31 with Ruturaj Gaikwad still going all guns blazing. While Tilak Varma is still on paper an “all-round” option, captain Suryakumar Yadav and interim head coach VVS Laxman have been reluctant to use Tilak as an off-spinner.
And with Rinku Singh already excelling as a “finisher”, he is certain to continue in IND vs AUS 4th T20I.
Shreyas Iyer vs Tilak Varma
What works for Tilak Varma is not just his all-round ability or aggressive batting style but he is also a left-hander. However, with three left-handers already in the Playing XI, India won’t mind having a right-hander back.
It is also an opportunity for Shreyas Iyer to get back to T20I side. With no IPL 2023 due to injury, Iyer has been mostly absent from the shortest format.
| Player | Mat | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tilak Varma | 13 | 281 | 55* | 40.14 | 141.91 | 2 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 17 | 463 | 74* | 35.61 | 141.15 | 4 |
And before Shreyas Iyer missed out on the T20 World Cup spot to Suryakumar Yadav, he had numbers to back his claims. He scored 463 runs in 2022 at an average of 35.61 and more importantly at a blazing strike rate of 141.15.
However, India Cricket Team only has eight matches left to try out combinations before the T20 World Cup 2024.
Even though IPL 2024 would definitely serve as the selection platform, next eight matches will be crucial. To get to the next six, Shreyas Iyer has to do well in the next two. Once Hardik Pandya returns, Iyer without anything to show for, won’t have a place in the side now that youngsters are not only knocking on the door, they are breaking it down.
And unfortunately, it’s Tilak Varma who will be dropped to the bench. It’s not his fault entirely but it’s the position he plays in and the lack of demand for a sixth bowling option.
India squad for Australia T20 Series:
India’s squad: Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer (4th & 5th T20I)
