I Feel Comfortable In Batting At Number Four: Shreyas Iyer

Apart from KL Rahul, the one big positive to emerge from New Zealand for India in the white-ball format was Shreyas Iyer coming of age. He was the star of the show when India chased over 200 in the first T20 in Auckland. He was also in scintillating form in the ODIs as he scored his maiden hundred in Hamilton and also got two fifties in the three-match series.

During the course of his brilliant knocks, the flamboyant batsman also became the regular No. 4 batsman of India for his consistent performances.

For a major chunk of last year, India were struggling – to find the perfect man for their No. 4 position in ODIs.

Finally, Iyer settled in the side.

Shreyas Iyer can bat anywhere:

Iyer said the talk around the No. 4 position ‘irritates’ him and stressed he would bat anywhere the team demands.

Further, he added that there are a lot of players, who can bat at number four in the country – and it’s just a matter of time. He highlighted the versatility and flexibility of the player – to bat at that position.

“Oh, it really gets to me … to the extent that sometimes the debate itself begins to get irritating. It’s not like I’m the only batsman who can bat at No.4,” Iyer told Times of India.

“I do feel comfortable now batting at No. 4. I’ve done that for a while now and it’s beginning to feel like it’s the space where I belong so why not? But let me reiterate this. If you’re going to play at the highest level, it’s about what the team wants and the concerns that need to be addressed at that given moment in time,” Iyer added.

While his ODI form has no doubt witnessed a spike since his return to the Indian team post last year’s 50-over World Cup, Iyer remains an equally key ingredient in the team’s in T20I setup.

With the T20 World Cup lined up later this year, Iyer is a nice fit even in the shorter format of the game.

Well, it would be interesting to see how things would turn out. The flamboyant batsman has been doing a great job for the team so far in his second stint with the senior side.