“The bench is getting strong”, Sanjay Bangar Opines That Shreyas Iyer Might Be Virat Kohli’s Backup
Team India has been extremely successful in recent weeks. While West Indies was whitewashed in both tournaments, India has started with a massive win over Sri Lanka in T20Is. Apart from filling a few holes, the team is also managing to build a strong bench. In this article, we take a look at the snippets of a conversation in which Sanjay Bangar feels Shreyas Iyer might be Virat Kohli‘s backup.
Shreyas Iyer might be Virat Kohli’s backup
In the first T20I against Sri Lanka, despite the strong start, Shreyas Iyer was sent up at No.3, although the player is not known for his big-hitting skills. However, Iyer surprised many with his brilliant knock of 57 from just 28 balls. This eventually helped India to post a mammoth total of 199. Sanjay Bangar, though, felt that there is thinking behind sending Shreyas repeatedly at No.3.
While having a conversation on Star Sports, the RCB Head Coach for IPL 2022 said, “The bench is getting strong. The position at which Shreyas is being sent to bat, he is being continuously sent at No. 3. So God forbid if Virat Kohli gets injured in some match, I feel he can become a very good option at No. 3, and that is probably where the team management’s sights are set on Shreyas Iyer.”
The KKR skipper is doing well in limited chances
A few years ago, Shreyas Iyer was the numero-uno choice to play at No.4. However, players such as Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and even KL Rahul have overtaken him for a spot in the middle-order. Now, Iyer is being restricted to playing games when the first-choice players are unavailable.
However, in whatever chances he is getting, Iyer has been grabbing all of them. While he scored an 80 in the final ODI against West Indies, he has followed it up with a fine half-century in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. Hence, Iyer is just not letting the management sideline him from playing XI.