Published: Aug 11, 2019, 01:09 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 11, 2019, 01:09 PM (IST)
Gautam Gambhir is hopeful that Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer will afforded a long rope in the Indian cricket team as he has the work ethic and skills to succeed at international level.
READ: Shreyas Iyer seeks flexibility
Currently a part of India’s limited-overs squad for the West Indies tour, Iyer is aiming to cement his place in the middle-order. He wasn’t given a chance in the three-match T20I series that India won 3-0 but was part of the playing XI for the series opening first ODI in Guyana which was washed out after 13 overs.
With two more games to go, Iyer will be hoping to leave some impact and Gambhir has put his faith in the Indian team management to persist with him.
“India have a little bit of a headache in trying to give everyone a game,” Gambhir wrote in his column for The Times of India. “Shreyas Iyer was scheduled to bat at number four in the previous game which got rained off. He will get another chance in Trinidad. I have spent time with him in the Delhi Capitals’ dressing room. He has the setup and the works to succeed at this level. I just hope he gets a consistent run rather than a truncated one.”
The No. 4 batting spot has been India’s Achilles Heel. Several players have been tried unsuccessfully leaving the middle-order a bit shaky. For some time, Ambati Rayudu was floated as an option but after a drop in his form, he fell off the radar. India tried KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar and Rishabh Pant during the world cup and are continuing their search for a long-term solution.
Iyer has been projected as the new claimant but India’s new No.4 is not just focused on that crucial spot in the line-up, instead the 24-year-old is seeking flexibility to bat anywhere the team wants him to bat.
“Personally, I am not thinking about batting only at No.4,” Iyer said ahead of the second ODI, at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. “I want to be someone who is very flexible batting at any number, or, if you go into any situation, you should be able to grab that opportunity and make the best use of it.”
