India star batter Shreyas Iyer has been the talk of the town for the past two months as the right-handed batter was left out of India's Asia Cup squad despite his IPL heroics. Further, Iyer's fans took to social media to seek justice for his absence, and it led to a massive hype for India's ongoing tour against Australia as Iyer continues to be the Men in Blue's key star in the ODI set-up.
However, Iyer's return to Indian colours didn't go as expected because the 30-year-old returned to the pavilion after scoring 11 (24), which featured a solitary four. On the 2nd ball of the 14th over, Iyer fell flat to Josh Hazlewood's plans and nicked a short-pitched delivery down the leg-side that went straight to Josh Phillipe.
Notably, it was the seventh time that Hazlewood has got the better of Iyer in international cricket, and the fans fear about Iyer's form for the Men in Blue ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be played in South Africa. This nation also dons similar turf.
Meanwhile, this article will shed light on key concerns for Shreyas Iyer that the right-handed batter needs to address ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
1. Short-ball woes
Short-ball has been a massive challenge for Iyer in his career. The 30-year-old is not a natural puller like Rohit Sharma, who dispatches chest-length deliveries to the boundary ropes and has struggled with it over the years.
Similarly, Hazlewood exposed Iyer's exploits in the first ODI and in the over in which he got the 30-year-old out, the right-arm seamer tested Iyer with three short-pitched deliveries before finally getting the wicket.
Let's look at Iyer's stats against short-pitched deliveries.
Criteria
Data
Innings
62
Runs
1375
Balls
1375
Out
35
Average
39.3
Strike-Rate
100
Key observation
If we look at the stats then Iyer, who averages 47 in ODIs, his average drops to 39 when the bowlers opt for short-pitch deliveries. Further, Iyer has gotten out on 35 occasions to short-pitched deliveries.
Iyer has played 66 ODI innings and got dismissed on 60 occasions. Thus, out of 60 dismissal, 35 has come against short-pitched deliveries, which is 58.33% of his dismissal mode, a key concerning area for Shreyas Iyer.
2. Poor stats against nations with fast pitches
Shreyas Iyer boasts a great average in ODIs and was India's go-to player during the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, that event was in India, and the upcoming World Cup will take place in South Africa, two very contrasting surfaces.
India offers a slow pace, less bounce and more spin than the pitches in Australia and South Africa. Further, Iyer, who averages 47 in ODIs, has a questionable average in nations that support fast-paced and bouncy tracks.
Thus, this is one area that Iyer needs to work on before the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Let's look at Shreyas Iyer's stats in ODIs and his stats in Australia and South Africa
Criteria
Data
In Australia
In South Africa
Innings
66
4
6
Runs
2856
70
154
Average
47.46
17.50
25.66
Strike-Rate
99.4
84.33
91.66
Key observation
South Africa will host 2027 ODI World Cup and if we look at the stats, then Iyer's average drops significantly in Australia or the Rainbow nation compared to his overall figures. Strike-rate isn't a big criteria in ODIs, but the stats clearly suggest that Iyer struggles on past-paced pitches.
3. Fault in the stance
As soon as Shreyas Iyer walked to bat, Cricket.com. Au shared a video comparing Iyer's batting stance since his last visit in 2020. It showed that Iyer has made a few noticeable changes, which Iyer can watch and rework on his open stance to perform better against Australia.
Further, during one of the rain breaks, match presenter and former India cricketer Irfan Pathan too analysed Shreyas Iyer's batting in the 1st ODI and made a crucial observation on his stance and stated that Iyer's backfoot kept moving till Hazlewood released the ball.
However, he added that any batter should lock their stance as soon as the bowler starts to run to better focus on the delivery.
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Shreyas Iyer vs Australia - (Source: AFP).jpg)
