India and West Indies are involved in an ODI game on Friday. Team India started well with all the Top 3 batters scoring half-centuries. Shreyas Iyer, who was appointed as the vice-captain for the first two ODI matches, made a fifty. In the process, he also overtook Virat Kohli on a record list. The Mumbai cricketer is now the second Indian with the most half-centuries in the first 25 ODI innings.
Most half-centuries in the first 25 ODI innings
It was way back in 2017 that Shreyas Iyer made his ODI debut for India. For a while, he was seen as the perfect option for the No.4 role in the squad. However, he had to sit out on most occasions with the seniors coming back. It was only against West Indies that he completed 25 ODI innings. In almost half these innings, he has scored a fifty and that is a mighty impressive record. In fact, he now stands second on the list, overtaking Virat Kohli.
Most 50+ scores for India in the first 25 ODI innings
12: Navjot Sidhu
11: Shreyas Iyer*
10: Virat Kohli
09: Shikhar Dhawan#ShreyasIyer— The Cricket Panda (@TheCricketPanda) July 22, 2022
Iyer also completed 1000 runs in the format on Friday. Here, too, he notched up a record. After his score of 54 from 57 balls, in terms of innings, he became the second joint-fastest Indian to complete 1000 runs ODIs.
An important player for Team India keeping in mind the 2023 ODI World Cup
While there are doubts about Iyer in the SENA Nations, when it comes to India, he is too good a batter to sit out of the XI. Especially with the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, Iyer will be an important player for India.
Iyer’s approach could still need improvement but he has shown that he is working towards it. Against spinners, he is extremely competent and he also has the ability to bring up big knocks. At No.4, he can be an ideal option but there is a lot of competition for this slot. While Rishabh Pant is a certainty, the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda are also in the fray. This is assuming that KL Rahul bats at No.5 in ODIs.
