IND vs SA: Irfan Pathan decodes Shreyas Iyer’s mediocre batting display in South Africa series

In the absence of senior players – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul – many expected Shreyas Iyer to cash the opportunity and lead Team India’s batting charts against South Africa in the ongoing five-match T20I series.

However, Shreyas has somewhat struggled to get going in the shortest format, averaging just 23.50 in the first four matches. The right-handed batter, who led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, has scored only 94 runs from 4 games against the Temba Bavuma-led Proteas.

But what exactly has been wrong with the Mumbai-born cricketer concerning his struggles to score runs? Well, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has analysed about Shreyas’ mediocre run in the T20Is against South Africa. Pathan observed that Shreyas has struggled against pace bowling throughout the white-ball series.

“Yes, obviously, he has struggled against pace, not only in this series but in quite a few matches (before that). Even in the IPL, we have seen that when it comes to fast bowlers who are bowling 140-plus, he has struggled a little. His strike rate has also gone down,” Pathan said while speaking on Star Sports.

The cricketer-turned-commentator asserted that Shreyas is comfortable against bowlers who are clicking less than 140 kph.

“He likes to play against spinners, and if you are bowling less than 140 kph, he is very much comfortable. But the one area of his game he needs to improve is facing the fast bowlers, especially when the ball comes close to his shoulders,” Pathan added.

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June 19, 2022 at 07:12PM