‘As a player, Shreyas Iyer doesn’t have to worry about anything’ – Parthiv Patel shares views on Indian T20I captain’s talent before 2nd T20I

Shreyas Iyer replaced Suryakumar Yadav as the captain of the Indian team in the shortest format last month. While the decision to appoint the 31-year-old was welcomed by many, some were skeptical, especially because he hadn’t played T20I cricket for quite some time heading into the ireland series.

Against Ireland, Shreyas could only manage scores of 3 (7) and 10 (7). However, he bounced back to form on Wednesday, July 1, smashing a breathtaking half-century under pressue. Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel highlighted that the 68 he scored off 47 balls had come after the Men in Blue had lost two quick wickets.

Patel said that it was a masterclass from Shreyas as far as T20 batting is concerned. The Gujarat Titans’ assistant and batting coach noted how Shreyas resurrected the innings by rotating strike and once he got his team into a stable position, he cut loose.

“Those raising questions over Shreyas Iyer would have felt a lot more relieved after this innings. As a player, Shreyas Iyer doesn’t have to worry about anything. He’s a proven performer in this format. It was a very important innings because India had lost two early wickets, while at the other end, Abhishek Sharma was batting quite aggressively,” Patel said while speaking on JioStar’s ‘Game Plan’.

“So, Shreyas had to play the second fiddle rather than rely too much on hitting sixes, which is something every Indian player is so used to from playing in the IPL. You have to rotate the strike, and score boundaries along the ground. I thought it was a masterclass from Shreyas Iyer, understanding the situation and the dimensions of the ground. That’s something both the captain and the Indian team would have learned from those two games against Ireland,” he added.

The first T20I ended without a result due to rain. The second T20I is scheduled to be held at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday, July 4.