After his heroics with the bat in the ODI series in New Zealand, Shreyas Iyer received high praise from many fans across social media. Former opening batsman Aakash Chopra declared Shreyas Iyer "a must in ODIs" on his Youtube channel, and it's easy to see why. The stylish Mumbai batsman has been in brilliant form in ODI cricket in 2022 with a successful outing in the recently concluded series in New Zealand and Bangladesh.
Iyer shone with the bat against the Kiwis, scoring 80 in the first and 49 in the third ODIs, while he added 109 more runs in the three-match series in Bangladesh, including 82 in the second ODI, which India narrowly lost.
In 2022, his ODI batting record reads as follows:
724 runs, 15 innings, 55.69 average, 91.52 strike rate, 6 half-centuries, 1 century (113*).
Most of his big scores have come at either number 3 or 4 -- he scored one half-century, 50 against South Africa, at number 5 -- and with Virat Kohli undisputedly the first-choice number 3, Iyer has a great opportunity to grab the number 4 spot in ODIs.
Shreyas Iyer in International cricket:Related stories
Test - 56.73 avg & 65.14 sr
ODI - 48.03 avg & 96 sr
T20I - 30.68 avg & 136.68 sr— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 26, 2022
India's struggle to find a calm and composed batsman in the middle, akin to the great VVS Laxman, is extended to the Test team as well. And Shreyas Iyer showcased his good form with the bat in the longest format as well.
He scored 202 runs in 3 innings against Bangladesh and despite Cheteshwar Pujara walking away with the Player of the Series award, Iyer scored crucial runs when India was in trouble. His calm batting in the matchwinning partnership with R Ashwin took India home in the tense second Test in Mirpur, where India was staring at defeat at 74/7 while chasing 145.
| "Shreyas Iyer can play all three formats. He has confirmed his spot in ODIs and Tests. They should try him out in T20Is against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. He is a player who hits sixes and also knows how to defend."
- Mohammad Kaif
(@SonySportsNetwk)#ShreyasIyer— KnightRidersXtra (@KRxtra) December 26, 2022
Achilles heel
It's no secret Shreyas Iyer struggles against the short ball and the moving ball. His susceptibility to the short ball is usually accentuated in the longest format of the game, especially in pace-friendly conditions. However, this is an area Iyer knows requires improvements and is working on it behind closed doors.
But with India hosting the ODI World Cup, the threat of short-pitch bowling is snuffed out thanks to the slower and lower wickets in the sub-continent.
Super character shown by the boys to end the year on a winning note
See you guys in 2023 pic.twitter.com/lHI5iThNDZ— Shreyas Iyer (@ShreyasIyer15) December 25, 2022
Before Iyer can dream of playing a starring role in the ODI World Cup later in 2023, though, he will first have to overcome the hurdle that is the World Test Championships (WTC). The WTC final will be held at the Oval cricket ground, in England, and the wickets are likely to test Iyer's short-ball game.
And if India wants to sail through to the final, they will have to get the required points against Australia, who will reach Indian shores for four Test matches in mid-February. Iyer is key to India's chances, being the team's leading run-scorer in 2022, and he broke the hegemony of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli being the main batters in this team.
With no other batsman consistently performing for India in the middle order across formats, Iyer has slowly leapt to the front of the line for a spot in India's XI in ODIs and Tests at least.
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