New Delhi, October 30, 2023 : India see Shreyas’s role differently from the traditional No.4 batsman as Rohit Sharma explained to this newspaper before the World Cup
Last night, Misbah-ul-Haq, former Pakistan captain, picked up an interesting point about Shreyas Iyer’s short-ball woes: How he is so focused on the bouncers, that even when the ball isn’t there for the pull shot, he tries and fails. Just like it played out against England.
“He is expecting the short ball and many times, even against short-of-length balls which aren’t ideal for pulling, like the one against England, he goes for the shot. So, you are overthinking about the short ball and you are in trouble,” Misbah said on ‘A’ Sports. “See his front foot. After the initial movement, it goes nowhere. And he is in no position to play the short ball … And he doesn’t even try to avoid the short ball.”
The length from Chris Woakes wasn’t that short, more like top of back of length, but Shreyas Iyer first took a tiny forward movement, arrested it, and then went a bit pear-shaped in the way he opened himself up as he went for the pull. Unsurprisingly, the bat-flow wasn’t smooth, neither was the bat-face ideal, and the ball ballooned up for a simple catch.
The mental make up of Shreyas is such that he is avoiding the most sane option available for him: ducking or swaying away from the short ones; he commits himself so much into the shot that he is almost unable to tear away.
Former Pakistan captain suggested that India take a serious look at their batting order, and promote KL Rahul at No.4, instead of Shreyas.
“I have been saying from day 1, KL Rahul is a class player and is late at No.5; he should be batting at No.4 … If they have KL Rahul at No.4 and then when Hardik Pandya comes back, things can get difficult for Shreyas,” Misbah said.
It’s a touch tricky. If this world cup was played on bouncier tracks of South Africa or England, then it would have been an easy decision to go the way Misbah suggests and take Iyer out of middle-order fire. But in Indian conditions, the team values his approach.
The way Rohit Sharma and India see Shreyas is a bit different from how the regular No.4 batsman is viewed traditionally. They are quite happy with the way he counterattacks at the start, shifts the momentum from the opposition if early wickets fall.
By doing that, even if he doesn’t carry on for bigger scores, Shreyas sets up the innings for the likes of Rahul and Hardik Pandya (or Suryakumar Yadav). In case he falls early, then Rahul has the skill to drop anchor.
Shreyas at No.4 allows them to delay that anchoring, milking the middle-overs. India’s first preference is to attack, and Shreyas allows them that luxury. Their batting order is also arranged that way: Rohit Sharma attacks, Shubman Gill is more naturally brisk rather than taking any risks. Then Shreyas Iyer attacks when Virat Kohli takes up the Gill like brisk shepherded role. Similarly, Rahul takes up that manoeuvring role while Pandya/Suryakumar can attack. It even follows down as Ravindra Jadeja takes up that singles-rotation steering role, allowing his partner to hit out.
If Shreyas is taken out of No.4, then it can lead to a situation where Rahul and Kohli are bunched together. Not that it’s bad – both of them together have pulled India out of holes even in this world cup, but with Shreyas in the mix, it allows them for a greater attacking or counterattacking cameo that helps them in setting up big targets or chasing down tall scores.
Speaking to The Indian Express before the world cup, Rohit Sharma expounded on the No.4 position and the role of Shreyas.
“We have Shreyas Iyer. It’s just that due to his injury, and a couple of players we tried didn’t grab the opportunities, the ‘hawaa’ once again returned but since I knew Shreyas would be back, I had no sleepless nights over it. He has been perfect for us … Ever since the last ODI World Cup, it [the No.4 problem] has followed us. And perhaps it was a problem during Virat (Kohli) and (Ravi) Shastri’s time, but I can speak confidently for us (Rohit and Rahul Dravid), that it hasn’t been an issue at all,” Rohit told this newspaper.
Will the last couple of games make Rohit rethink that? He is usually the sort who gives a longer rope and doesn’t over-react to the situations. Considering India’s position in the world cup, it’s likely that Shreyas will get more games to prove himself.
It will now come down to how Shreyas views it. Will he try to be even more bolder and frantically aggressive to prove a point, or would he tame down a touch, and consider swaying or ducking from the short balls until he settles down. It’s not easy, of course, as if in his mind he sees himself as a counter-attacker, he is almost drawn into the battle from the get-go. Pacing an innings is an art that only the real best know and Shreyas isn’t there quite yet. according to the reports published in indianexpress.com .
His effort to keep the ball down can also be a touch awkward – with the bat face neither here nor there as he tries to roll his wrists over the ball but wouldn’t quite manage that. Not that he is unaware of the issue. “That (the short ball issue) is just what the commentators talk about. And off-the-field guys kept saying it was an issue. It had gone into my head at one point. But if you see, if I can leave or keep it down, I definitely don’t have a problem. Runs wouldn’t come (against short balls); that was the situation. Obviously the bowlers started to target when I came to bat. It does play in batsmen’s mind when people from outside talk about the problem and it’s important as a player to turn a deaf ear to them. The rest will take care of itself. At the end of the day, ignorance is bliss.”
Turning deaf ear to others is often a good thing in high-profile sports, but perhaps the inner ear can be tuned in to listen to his own words: “If I can leave or keep it down, I definitely won’t have a problem”. But his aggressor role that he and the team have defined for him gets in the way. Fascinating times ahead in the next couple of matches to track how he bats.
