Cricket News: How Shreyas Iyer's short-ball problem derailed an otherwise fulfilling 2022
To say that 2022 has been a strange year for Shreyas Iyer would be an understatement, as the Mumbai batsman has, by all accounts, done well for himself in the chances he’s gotten
Shreyas IyerA quick look at the stats for the year for Shreyas Iyer tells the tale of a batsman who has managed to get runs for himself across formats.
In the four Test matches, he’s played this year, Shreyas has batted in six innings in the four games he’s played and scored 306 runs at an average of 51 and a strike rate of 66.23.
In ODIs, he’s played 17 matches, batting in 15 and scoring 724 runs. He also achieved a high score of 113* while batting at an average of 55.69 and a strike rate of 91.52.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shreyas Iyer hasn't been dismissed for a single-digit score in his Test career.<br><br>He became the first Indian batter to reach double figures in each of his first 10 Test innings 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShreyasIyer?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShreyasIyer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BANvsIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BANvsIND</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tests?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tests</a> <a href="https://t.co/sjMFbU1dEJ">pic.twitter.com/sjMFbU1dEJ</a></p>— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/WisdenIndia/status/1602980651157753856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In T20Is, he has also played 17 matches and batted in all of them, scoring a respectable 463 runs at an average of 35.61 at a strike rate of 141.15.
These are, by all accounts, the numbers of a player who should deservedly be an all-format starter for India right now. Yet his spot is solidified only in Test cricket and, to an extent, the ODI game.
His T20I spot – and the question marks over his run in the team in general – come down to a specific factor: his inability to cope with short-ball bowling particularly from quicker bowlers.
Quality short-ball bowling can outdo even the best of batters. But with Shreyas, it has become a clear that he is a target for sweet chin music.
And that is precisely why, despite being a batsman who can play both the classical shots and batter spinners out of the ground with brute force, he finds himself in an uncertain spot as a player.
Were it not for this issue, likely, he would not have found himself among the reserves for the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup that followed.
Yes, the player included over him – Deepak Hooda – also had the apparent appeal of being a handy part-time bowler it is true.
However, given Hooda’s bowling was barely used in these tournaments, it is safe to say skipper Rohit Sharma saw him as a pure batsman – and one who could deal with Australia’s pitches a lot better than what Shreyas would manage.
It is a shame, especially since Shreyas has shown that he is a batsman capable of not only hanging in there and occupying the crease but also consistently scoring runs.
Yet his inability to deal with the short ball is leaving him exposed. He is aware of the weakness and is working on it, but as things stand, it is still an obvious bullseye on his back.
It hasn’t reached a point where his team spot is entirely affected; the fact that he played consistently through 2022 and is still a part of the squad shows that team management retains faith in him.
But if the short ball problem remains, team management may be forced to look elsewhere – no matter the numbers Shreyas is putting up on the board.