Lucknow : India batter Shreyas Iyer said that even though he is very comfortable batting at number three, he won’t mind batting at other positions. Iyer has been slotted in to bat at number four in the first T20I against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
“Very much comfortable at 3 because I have grown up batting at that number. You can go in early if a wicket falls and become an opener. But if you get set and make a big score, you can finish off in the end. It’s lovely to bat at that number but otherwise I am really comfortable playing at other positions,” said Iyer in a pre-match chat with the broadcasters.
India’s next two matches in T20Is against Sri Lanka will happen in Dharamsala, the place where Iyer made his ODI debut in 2017. Asked about changes in him since his initiation into white-ball cricket for India, Iyer remarked, “When I first came in, I was very flamboyant and impulsive in terms of decision making. But now I have become little calm and composed while building my innings, and grown in temperament. They have been a few aspects which helped me build my innings You can’t think a lot in this format (T20s), you just have a blank slate, walk in and try to smash every ball.”
Against leg-spin in all T20s, Iyer has shown a penchant to take them to the cleaners. Asked about the same, Iyer revealed, “To be honest, leg-spinners tend to bowl little bit above the eye-level, even in nets, when I am practising, I try to go after them. My flow just comes naturally. It’s very difficult to control as my bat swing is so high. Also, it depends on the situation. It’s something I can’t control myself against them right from the first ball (broke into laughter).”
Iyer, 27, signed off by saying that he isn’t thinking much about captaincy. After his international commitments, Iyer will be captaining Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“When I am donning the blue right now, it’s really important to be in the present and focus on the day. Not think much about the captaincy provided by KKR. But it’s something I will be looking forward to in the future. Its going to be a really exciting role for me and I hope it goes really well. But that’s in the future picture.”
–IANS