‘Shreyas Iyer Is Not The Only Player Who Failed’: Sunil Gavaskar Defends Iyer’s Test Form In Recently Concluded South Africa Tour

Shreyas Iyer, known for his flamboyance in limited-overs cricket, has found the transition to the Test arena to be challenging. The batter looked troubled by short-pitched deliveries in the series against South Africa.

Despite being a regular inclusion in the playing XI, Iyer seems to struggle to exhibit confidence and stability, particularly when facing deliveries that rise unexpectedly, as simulated by throwdown specialists positioned 18 yards away in the practice session before the second test match.

In the recent series against South Africa in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship, Iyer had a forgettable outing. The premier batter, in the series opener, only managed a modest 31 runs in first innings and mere six runs in the second.

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But, former legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar did not look too troubled by Iyer’s form as he thinks everyone struggled the same against the ruthless Proteas’ attack.

"Shreyas Iyer is not the only player who failed because it's not easy for any batter on these pitches. If you see, barring Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, no one else scored too many runs," HT quoted Gavaskar as saying.

"You cannot point fingers at just one player. So I feel the selection committee will also think that he should probably be given more chances," he added.

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Across the two-Test series against South Africa, Iyer could only accumulate 41 runs, averaging a meager 13.67. The right-handed batter's lackluster performance raised questions about his form in the longest format, prompting discussions about his future role in the Test squad.

Iyer was dismissed for a two-ball duck in the first innings of the Cape Town test, but played a finishing role in scoring the winning run in a low-scoring Test match.

With an average below 40 in the longest format and a series of low scores against SENA nations, the upcoming matches will be crucial for Iyer to prove his mettle and solidify his place in the Test squad.