When Virat Kohli returns... - Kevin Pietersen tears apart 'sloppy' Shreyas Iyer for 2nd Test failure
Published - 02 Feb 2024, 06:32 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:26 AM
Former England batter Kevin Pietersen launched a scathing attack on Shreyas Iyer after the latter failed to deliver again in the first innings of the second Test between India and England.
Shreyas Iyer departed for 27 off 59 balls and was caught behind off Tom Hartley’s delivery.
Pietersen was highly critical of Shreyas Iyer’s batting, terming his knock ‘sloppy’ and saying, “I want people in my dressing room that are more hungry than that”.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first and the innings started with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal stitching a 40-run opening stand as Rohit Sharma departed for 14 off 41 deliveries in the first session itself followed by Shubman Gill who was caught behind off a beautiful out-swinging delivery from James Anderson right before the lunch. However, Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 90 runs for the third wicket but Shreyas Iyer departed after scoring 27 off a loose ball from spinner Tom Hartley.
Kevin Pietersen called it a sloppy knock and said that when Kohli and other first-choice players return, it will be difficult for the likes of Shreyas Iyer to retain his spot in the team. He said that Iyer would look back at this time and feel disappointed for not being able to perform when he had a chance.
“Listen, when Kohli comes back and other guys come back [KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja] these are the days these boys are going to look back and go, ‘Oh why did I not get a hundred? I had the opportunity to get the hundred’. And when you are sloppy like that, getting out doesn’t impress me at all. You have to really grab the game by the scruff of its neck and say I am not letting go here. I am afraid to say with Shreyas it all seems a bit too sloppy. Sloppy is the word,” Pietersen said on Jio Cinema.
Shreyas Iyer Needs To Get His Form Back
Shreyas Iyer made 27 from 59 balls, before under-edging an intended cut to the wicketkeeper off the left-arm spinner Tom Hartley. It was a knock noticeable for his odd approach against pace and spin and he has been a complete flop in red-ball cricket since the past two series. Shreyas Iyer needs to up his game otherwise it will be difficult for him to retain his spot in the format.
India and England are facing each other in the second Test of the five-match series at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vishakhapatnam. India has already lost the first Test which was played in Hyderabad by 28 runs and now they hope to win the second Test to level the series by 1-1 and then gain momentum in the last three matches of the series.
India has never lost a Test series at home since 2012 when they were defeated by England 2-1 in the four-match series. The hosts have won 16 consecutive Test series in India since 2012 and are looking to win the 17th one by beating England again. England won the first Test in the 2021 tour also but then lost three games on the trot.
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IND vs ENG 2024 India National Cricket Team India vs England Test series Kevin Pietersen Shreyas Iyer
