'He's throwing it away against toothless bowling attacks': Gavaskar rips apart Shreyas Iyer, wants him to score big

While Shreyas Iyer has played a useful knocks, he is yet to play the kind of innings that Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or KL Rahul have in the 2023 World Cup.

India suddenly found multiple solutions to their long-standing No.4 conundrum in ODI cricket just before the ongoing World Cup. Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul all showed that they could be trusted in that position while Shreyas Iyer maintained his status as the premier batter for the team in the role. Iyer has scored 964 runs batting in that position for India in 26 matches at an average of 45.90 with two centuries and six half-centuries.

Shreyas Iyer's highest score in the 2023 World Cup thus far has been an unbeaten 53 (AP/HIT)

Iyer has been walking out in that position for India in the World Cup and while he has played useful knocks, including an unbeaten half-century against Pakistan that provided the finishing touches to India's chase, the 28-year-old is yet to play a standout innings. Iyer has managed scores of 0, 25 not out, 53 not out and 19 in the tournament thus far.

Former India captain and batting great Sunil Gavaskar said that Iyer should be making more of the chances he is getting to play in that position regularly. Gavaskar's comments came after the Bangladesh match, in which Iyer was caught at deep midwicket while going for a big shot having scored 19 in 25 balls. "He (Shreyas Iyer) lost his patience. He was batting on 19, and threw his wicket away. Shubman Gill (was batting on) fifty (52), threw his wicket away," said Gavaskar on Star Sports.

Gavaskar said that the rest of the batters can learn from Virat Kohli, who scored an unbeaten century in that match. Kohli has been prolific in this tournament, recording scores of 85, 55 not out, 16 and 103 not out. "Kohli never does that. He will seldom ever throw his wicket away. He makes you earn his wicket and that is exactly what you need. When he got to 70-80, he realised that he has an opportunity to get to a hundred and why not? Hundreds don't come every day," added the former India captain.

Knowing how to score a century

The century against Bangladesh was Kohli's 48th in ODI cricket, putting him one away from equalling Sachin Tendulkar's extraordinary record. Gavaskar said that players like Kohli, and even Gill, know how to score centuries and Iyer needs to learn that. "You need to know how to get to a hundred and it's important for Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill. Shubman Gill is at least getting hundreds, Shreyas Iyer is not getting hundreds. He is getting his opportunities to bat at number 4 on pitches as good as these and attacks as toothless as this and he is throwing away the opportunity," Gavaskar said,