With four wins in as many matches, things have been going great for the Indian team in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and the win against Bangladesh was a stamp on how well this team is performing collectively. The bowlers haven't led the opposition run away in any of the games as the batters have chased targets of 200, 192, 273 and 257 in the four matches so far and Rohit Sharma and Co have responded brilliantly with the bat. While skipper Rohit and Virat Kohli have hit hundreds, each of Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul have had a half-century each to their name.
It has been a great comeback from the batters after Australia destroyed the Indian top-order with Rohit, Ishan Kishan and Iyer recording ducks. Kishan played only two games but Rohit has been in some carnage-causing form with a hundred and a half-century to follow at a strike rate in excess of 120. Iyer after that duck had two unbeaten knocks of 25 and 53 but threw his wicket away for 19 against Bangladesh.
India great Sunil Gavaskar has lashed out at Iyer for letting those opportunities go despite the bowling attacks being ordinary. Speaking on Star Sports, Gavaskar said that young batters like Shubman Gill and Iyer can learn from Virat Kohli on how to build innings. "He (Shreyas Iyer) lost his patience. He was batting on 19 and threw his wicket away. Shubman Gill (was batting on) fifty (52), threw his wicket away.
"Kohli never does that. He will seldom ever throw his wicket away. He makes you earn his wicket and that is exactly what you need. When he got to 70-80, he realised that he has an opportunity to get to a hundred and why not? Hundreds don't come every day," Gavaskar added. Kohli stayed unbeaten on 103 against Bangladesh with two fifty-plus scores already under his name.
Gavaskar further said that since the pitches are good to bat, Iyer should get big scores with the likes of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav under his name. "You need to know how to get to a hundred and it's important for Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill. Shubman Gill is at least getting hundreds, Shreyas Iyer is not getting hundreds. He is getting his opportunities to bat at number 4 on pitches as good as these and attacks as toothless as this and he is throwing away the opportunity," he further said.
Iyer recently had scored a century in the second ODI in Indore against Australia last month but hasn't been able to get big scores in the last few innings.
