Shreyas Iyer, the Team India batter, shared insights into his potential role in the batting order for the upcoming Champions Trophy, emphasizing his readiness to adapt and bat wherever needed for the team’s success.
He also highlighted the significant contributions made by him and KL Rahul during India’s remarkable 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, which saw them finish as runners-up. Iyer accumulated 530 runs at an impressive average of 66.25 and a strike rate of 113.24 in 11 matches, primarily batting in the middle order.
However, since the World Cup, he has faced struggles in ODIs, averaging just 22.50 in four matches. When asked about his role in the 2025 Champions Trophy during an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, Iyer responded:
“I’m flexible and ready to bat anywhere in the batting order. KL and I, we played that important role in the middle during the World Cup. We had a great season together. It was just the last bit [the final] that we couldn’t execute the way we wanted to. It will be a proud moment for me if I were to be picked in the Champions Trophy [side] to represent the country.”
Iyer also shared his thoughts on the role he is expected to take on for his new franchise, Punjab Kings (PBKS), in IPL 2025.
“I want to be that anchor in the team who usually plays at No. 3, who can bat, once set, until the 15-16th over and end on a good note. That’s how I started playing my cricket in the past, when I was representing DC. Also, when we were brainstorming with Ricky, this was the position [we spoke about] for me to be in,” he said.
“Some people believe that my stats weren’t impressive”- Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer denied claims about his IPL 2024 performance, where he scored 351 runs at an average of 39 and a strike rate of nearly 147. He also led KKR to their third IPL title, their first since 2014.
“I feel that I’m flexible. I can bat at any position, as I did in KKR, but still some people think that my numbers weren’t that great. But if you go and see the numbers and the positions at which I batted, the strike rate and also the average and combined all that, it benefited the team in every possible way,” said Iyer.
He further added:
“It’s just that perception people create from the outside, that this particular batsman should be batting at this [position in the] order. I am not that kind of a thinker. I love to be flexible. I can bat at any [position]. If my team demands I bat at a certain position, I would do that.”
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
