Former Indian player Sanjay Bangar has reckoned that the management is looking to groom to Shreyas Iyer as Virat Kohli backup option for No 3 in case the latter is not available. Iyer, while batting at No 3 position at the first T20I against Sri Lanka hit a quickfire 57 off 28 balls to help India post a mammoth 199 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
With former Indian skipper Kohli rested for the last T20I match against West Indies and the ongoing series with Sri Lanka, the 27-year old batsman has batted at the No 3 spot in last two T20I matches for team India. Iyer has represented India in 34 T20I matches in which he has scored 662 runs at an average of 30.09. The batsman plays with a strike rate of 137.06 and has four fifties under his belt.
Bangar in a conversation with Star Sports said, “The bench is getting strong. The position at which Shreyas is being sent to bat, he is being continuously sent at No. 3. So God forbid if Virat Kohli gets injured in some match, I feel he can become a very good option at No. 3 and that is probably where the team management’s sights are set on Shreyas Iyer.”
Even former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan was also in awe with Iyer’s ball hitting ability. “This guy has the swag. When this boy is in form, it is enjoyable to watch. The big shots he plays, he doesn’t stay at one spot but despite that, the balance he generates, it is his own ability,” Pathan was quoted by Sportskeeda
.”I like the non-looker six he hits the most. The two sixes he hit off the slower ones – one off Karunaratne and later off Chameera. He answered the critics with his bat, you don’t need to answer with your tongue. If we expect Shreyas Iyer to bat always at a strike rate of around 160, that’s not going to happen, he is a different batter,” he added.
