Michael Vaughan, who used to be the captain of England, thinks that Shreyas Iyer will have to fix his problems with the short ball if he wants to stay on the international circuit.
The Indian middle-order batter got out twice because of short balls in the current rescheduled fifth Test match. This continued a pattern of getting out that has become more than just a pattern.
Late in 2021, Shreyas Iyer got into the test team and right away put his name forward for a spot in the middle order.
The 27-year-old made a strong case for himself in his first four Tests, which were all played at home. But Iyer’s real flaws show up when he plays against a strong bowling attack overseas.
Vaughan said on Cricbuzz, after admitting that Iyer has a big problem to deal with,
“Let’s not hide the fact that Iyer has trouble with the short ball. No matter what kind of cricket he plays, T20, ODI, or Test, he will get out,” Vaughan said.
Vaughan added: “Guess what all the other teams will do to him at the T20 World Cup in Australia on those big wickets? He has a real problem, and if he wants to keep playing at this level, he’s going to have to figure it out.”
Even in the recent T20I home series against South Africa, where players like Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje were on the other side, Iyer had a hard time.
Iyer’s weakness was also shown by the fact that former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coach Brendon McCullum, who Iyer worked with in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, was in the other team’s dugout.
What did Michael Vaughan say?
On Day 3, India had the upper hand at Stump’s, so they were going to bat for most of Day 4. But England came back strong and was able to bowl India out for 245 runs, thanks to an inspiring spell from Ben Stokes at the end.
Vaughan said that India should have stayed on the field longer and given England a much bigger target.
“India’s batsmen were too weak today, making it too easy for England to get rid of them. They also made too many mistakes. They should have gotten between 420 and 430 runs. They just needed one more partnership,” Vaughan added.
The runs were stopped by the untimely dismissal of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja’s strange tactics with the lower order. India has set a target of 378 to win the Edgbaston Test, but England is only 119 runs behind at the end of Day 4.
