IND vs NZ: "It's Not the Shreyas Iyer I Want to See" - Simon Doull Wants Iyer To Tackle Short Ball

Promising batter Shreyas Iyer, who’s struggling against the short ball ploy is no longer a secret. The middle-order Indian batter can be forced on the back foot by a short ball barrage, according to analysts working for different teams. It comes as no surprise that once he enters the crease, teams immediately bowl short, from the West Indies to New Zealand. 

One such incident occurred when he came out to bat in the opening ODI match in Auckland and was immediately tested by Lockie Ferguson. Iyer hit Tom Latham with a ferocious uppercut for a six in his retort. He offered the fielders too many chances during his faulty innings, yet he still managed to get out. 

I Want Shreyas Iyer To Fight A Bit Harder: Simon Doull

Former Kiwi bowler Simon Doull, speaking for Cricbuzz, said he wants to see Iyer at his absolute best, not the one who was on display in Auckland. 

“Look, I was really disappointed with the third ball. It’s not the Shreyas Iyer I want to see. I want to see him fight through those couple of moments but it is tough, I get it. It’s hard. And when you have got the reputation of not playing the short balls well, it is not easy. It’s a horrible place to be in.” 

He further added: “But I want to see him fight a bit harder for that. But then he just finds a way to score runs and he scores them all around there.

He is particularly aggressive against spin and tries to be. But I just like him when he shows a bit more composure. It was a good innings tonight. I thought it was a very good innings after a really rough start.” 

After a first-ball duck, Shreyas Iyer recovered with a well-played half-century, and then Washington Sundar sped off to a rapid 16-ball 37 to lead India to a respectable total. 

After the tourists were put in to bat, Shikhar Dhawan (72 off 77 balls), Shubman Gill (50 off 65), and Iyer all scored fluent half-centuries in addition to Iyer’s 76-ball 80. 

After losing the Twenty20 series to India, New Zealand won the ODI series with a seven-wicket victory thanks to a century from Tom Latham and 94 runs from Kane Williamson. 

Also Read:IND vs NZ: BCCI To Not Renew Paddy Upton’s Contract