Wasim Jaffer believes Shreyas Iyer's spot is at risk in the Indian Team

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has claimed that Team India's middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer needs to improve his batting skills against fast-bowling and short-pitch bowling to keep his place in the side. 

Jaffer believes Iyer's spot will be 'up for grabs' once former India captain Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav return to India's T20I side.

Iyer has hit 90 runs from three games against South Africa at No. 3 in the ongoing five-match T20I series at home. Although he is among the top scorers for the host, he looked uncomfortable against quick short-pitch deliveries. However, many believe that his technique is helpful in Indian conditions but might be exposed in Australia, where the upcoming T20 World Cup will be played later this year.

In a recent interaction with ESPNcricinfo, the cricketer-turned-coach commented on Iyer's knock of 14 (11) in the third T20I and his overall game. 

He said, "Shreyas Iyer is batting at No. 3, and you always have expectations from your top-order players … he needs to be a bit better against fast bowling because they bowl short against him. The T20 World Cup is in Australia, where there will be bounce, and it won't be easy to score runs square of the wicket on the big grounds. He needs to focus on that and improve a bit."

On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav, who was in great form for Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2022 and missed the last few matches due to an injury, is considered a better player against pace and spin. 

The 44-year-old added that despite the pressure, Iyer's role is now to help India win the remaining two games of the series. 

He explained, "... His spot will always be up for grabs when Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav return to the team. But for now, he needs to play well in the next two matches for India to win the series."

Shreyas Iyer has been omitted from India's upcoming series against Ireland as he's a part of the Test team that will tour England in early July. Suryakumar, meanwhile, has been added to the former squad and is likely to bat at the No. 3 spot for the two matches. And, his performances might decide who India prefers among the two in the subsequent T20I series.

The veteran also shared his thoughts on India's possible changes and how the pitch could behave in the fourth T20I in Rajkot. He said that despite Avesh Khan's wicketless display, he's unlikely to be dropped after a win, adding that another high-scoring game can be on the cards that could test India's luck and batting ability on Friday too.

Jaffer stated, "Avesh Khan is the only one in the Indian team who hasn't got a wicket and has proven to be a bit expensive. But considering India didn't make a change after losing two games, I don't think we'll see any changes in this match as well. Rahul Dravid and Rishabh Pant maybe want to continue with the winning combination. "

He concluded by saying, "The Rajkot pitch is considered very good for batting. Expect a high-scoring match with 190-200 runs possible. The team winning the toss will want to bowl first... It's very hot in Rajkot at this time as well. So winning the toss is very important for India (smiles) ... Keeping the Rajkot wicket in mind, you'll have to score 15-20 runs above par because defending the score won't be easy."