The first two Tests against England didn’t go as planned for India batter Shreyas Iyer who struggled to put runs on the board in all four innings. Even on the tour of South Africa before the England assignment, Iyer looked off-coloured and was asked to go through the grind in domestic cricket. If the likes of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul return ahead of the third Test against England, Iyer would be expected to make way. Hence, former India cricketer Pragyan Ojha has suggested the under-fire batter to return to domestic cricket and score runs.
“Shreyas Iyer was left slightly behind. When you talk about great batters like Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul has also scored runs, when they return, they will automatically be part of the XI. So probably Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar will have to make way because the situation is like that,” Pragyan Ojha said in a chat with the broadcaster.
Though Iyer remains a player India have high hopes from for the future, Ojha doesn’t feel there’s enough room for him in the team if Rahul and Kohli are back.
“It’s not that you don’t want to give opportunities, but when great batters are coming and you don’t have that much room, you cannot give them the cushion. So go back and score runs in domestic cricket,” Ojha asserted.
With the third Test between India and England scheduled to start on February 15, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee is expected to name the squad for the remaining three matches in the coming days. In fact, chief selector Ajith Agarkar was in Vizag on Day 4 of the second Test to have a chat with head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma about the same.
As far as the return of Kohli is concerned, it isn’t yet clear if has has made himself available. Rahul, who missed the first two Tests due to an injury problem, is expected to return.
