When the time comes for India selectors to pick the squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia, Shreyas Iyer promises to be one of the batters in fray. The middle-order batter could be India's best bet at the No. 4 slot given his recent string of performances in T20Is. Iyer may have endured two low scores in his last two outings against South Africa, but he has been in red-hot form in the 20-over format. He began the SA T20Is with scores of 36 and 40 and had peeled off a hat-trick of half-centuries against Sri Lanka in February with scores of 57, 74 and 73, while remaining unbeaten during all three knocks.
If Iyer can keep up his current form for the next couple of months, there is no reason why he cannot produce a strong case for himself, despite there being a stiff fight for positions in India's middle order. Having said that, former India all-rounder Madan Lal has pointed out a glaring error in Iyer's game, which if not taken care of, will lead to his downfall in Australia. Lal, like many former cricketers, feel that Iyer is vulnerable to short-pitch bowling and if he can't find out a way to get out of this tangle, the oppositions will Australia will expose his game.
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"In international cricket, if you have a weakness, oppositions will surely go after it (Iyer's short-ball weakness). Forget that they won't. Now he has to sort out himself, has to find out a way. Even if he scores a 100, they (Australians) will clap, but they won't spare you. There is no mercy here. They will keep bowling short to him. With the kind of technology that exists, any team keeps a strong track of the opposition," Lal said on Sports Tak.
{{/usCountry}}"In international cricket, if you have a weakness, oppositions will surely go after it (Iyer's short-ball weakness). Forget that they won't. Now he has to sort out himself, has to find out a way. Even if he scores a 100, they (Australians) will clap, but they won't spare you. There is no mercy here. They will keep bowling short to him. With the kind of technology that exists, any team keeps a strong track of the opposition," Lal said on Sports Tak.
{{/usCountry}}Iyer's susceptibility against the short ball first came to light during the limited-overs leg of India's 2020 tour of Australia, where he scored 0, 12 not out, 2, 38 and 19 from five matches. Ever since, Iyer has often appeared uncomfortable against the short-pitched stuff. This was visible even more in his batting for Kolkata Knight Riders during the IPL 2022. In 12 innings this season, he has been dismissed to a short ball thrice among his five dismissals by pacers.