Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris has urged India to persist with Shreyas Iyer in the middle order, saying the cricketer has the ability to lead the nation in the future. Incidentally, Iyer has been under the spot after his recent struggles against short-pitch deliveries against England.
Shreyas was considered one of the frontrunners to be the Indian team’s future skipper some time back. However, the untimely shoulder injury last year and his travails against the short ball have resulted in him even losing his place in India’s first-string white-ball sides.
While the West Indies series looks do-or-die for Shreyas Iyer, Scott Styris feels the Men in Blue should give Shreyas Iyer a long rope. Speaking to Sports 18, the former Kiwi cricketer said:
“One hundred percent, what I really like about Shreyas Iyer is the leadership quality that he possesses. I think he is a real possibility to be a captain as well for India. For that reason, I would like to see him in and even given more and more opportunities around this squad.”
Shreyas Iyer lost his wicket to short deliveries all three times during the multi-format series against England. While James Anderson and Matthew Potts got the better of him in the two innings of the Edgbaston Test, Reece Topley had him caught behind playing an ungainly shot in the only T20I he played.
“Almost a little bit like Suresh Raina” – Scott Styris on Shreyas Iyer
Scott Styris compared Shreyas’ issues to those faced by former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina towards the latter stages of his international career. He elaborated:
“He is almost a little bit like Suresh Raina in that regard where teams now know how to attack him. So it’s now up to Shreyas Iyer to find a way to succeed against that style of bowling.”
Shreyas will hope to hit the straps soon to be in the reckoning for the ICC T20 World Cup later this year in Australia.
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