Iyer: Lost in Colombo, found in Indore | Cricket News

What a difference two weeks could make! As India entered the final stretch of their preparations for the World Cup in Colombo, they had seven matches to get their act together. From unsolved puzzles to fitness and combinations, questions seemed unending. All along, India lived in the hope that they would see light at the end of the tunnel, they are now beginning to see a rainbow. As Rohit Sharma looks set to lead India in their last game against Australia on Wednesday, their last fixture before the World Cup begins on October 5, they look a settled unit ticking every box along the way.
Right from their match against Pakan, India have been finding solutions to their problems with every passing day. The latest is the form of Shreyas Iyer, whose century in the last ODI at Indore, reassured the Indian team management faith in the middle-order batsman. A back injury sidelining him since March, Shreyas was battling time to regain full fitness for the World Cup. He then suffered another setback during the comeback series in Asia Cup. Despite having Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav as cover, India have been patiently waiting on Shreyas, particularly because he offers stability that few others can offer in the middle-order.
Imposing pressure
Apart from his ability to impose pressure on opposition if case of an early collapse, Shreyas is equally good against pace and spin. Of course, fast bowlers will try to rough him with short deliveries, but in the limited-overs Shreyas has showed that he can overcome those challenges.
Indore: Indian batter Shreyar Iyer plays a shot during the second ODI match against Australia, in Indore, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma)
In a middle-order where KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya are around and flexibility is the order of the day, Shreyas provides the much needed balance. In the middle-overs, where spinners will mostly operate, India can dictate the pace through Shreyas. Over the past fortnight, India’s only unsolved issue revolves around how their batting line-up confronts spinners in slow, spinner-friendly conditions. In such conditions, India’s biggest issue has been their inability to rotate the strike, leading to dot balls and pressure. While Suryakumar Yadav, who has definitely shown signs of blossoming in this format, is also equally good against spinners, Shreyas still seems to be ahead in the queue, particularly because of his versatility.
His innings on Sunday, where he scored 105 off 90 deliveries, is the classic knock India would expect from their No 4 in case of early wickets. With no left-handers in the mix, spinners have found it easy to tie up India’s batsmen, more so because they don’t generally use their feet to get down the track, in the middle overs. Shreyas, on the other hand, is an exception. The 28-year-old uses his feet well and prefers to go over the top against spinners. Besides, he can hit with the turn and against it too. In the last game, he repeatedly put leg-spinner Adam Zampa under pressure going over mid-wicket, forcing him to alter the line.
Happy headache
That his return to form adds to the headache is a different question altogether, particularly if the top-order is in good nick. In such a scenario, India may find Shreyas to be a luxury and bring in Suryakumar at No 6 to inflict more damage.Most Read
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Wednesday will be another opportunity for India to take a final look at how the team is shaping up. With Rohit and Virat Kohli back in the mix, India who have only 13 players to pick from, will not have a full-strength batting unit. “We have a lot of players who are sick and unavailable. A lot of players have personal problems so they have gone home and a few of the guys have been rested as well. We have got 13 players at this point in time,” said Rohit during the pre-match press conference.
With no player added to the squad, India are likely to draft in a couple of local Saurashtra players into the reserve. While Shubman Gill and Shardul Thakur were released from the squad, Axar Patel who was supposed to join the team for the ODI hasn’t recovered yet. Adding to the complexity, Rohit said a few of the players are down with a viral sickness. “There is a bit of viral going around in the team as well. So, there is a lot of uncertainty in the team at this point in time which we cannot help,” he added.

With both the teams set to square-off less than 10 days at the World Cup, Rajkot would be a dress rehearsal of sorts. Although both teams are missing several key players, Wednesday would be an important bout to trade psychological blows.