Shreyas Iyer’s path to coveted No. 3 spot is a road well travelled

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Look, there’s a lot of competition for places in this team, and I’d be happy just to be in the XI, but if I could choose, I’d bat No. 3. This, essentially, was the vibe of Shreyas Iyer‘s press conference after he’d struck 75 not out off 45 in the last match, hit 204 runs at a strike rate of 174 through the series, and claimed the Player of the Series trophy for those efforts.

It’s kind of a bold thing to say, since the long-term occupant of that No. 3 spot is a guy called Virat Kohli, and now there’s also Suryakumar Yadav to consider.

But after eight innings at No. 3 (six of which have come against Sri Lanka, by the way), Shreyas has hit a whopping 340 runs at a strike rate of 147, average up at 68. These are not un-stunning numbers.

“When you play the T20 format, if you bat in top three, that’s the only place you can pace the innings,” Shreyas said. “If you bat after that, you can’t give yourself time – you need to go from ball one. If I had to say the best number for me to bat, it’s obviously No. 3.”

Still, such is the depth in the India side, that Shreyas does not take his place for granted, even after a hugely successful series such as this. He was not dismissed across the three matches, hitting 57* off 28, 74* off 44, and 73* off 45. All up, he struck seven sixes and 20 fours in the series.

“Coming not out in all three games was a commendable performance for me, I feel. But if you see the competition in our team, it’s immense. Every individual is capable of winning you games. For me, I want to enjoy every opportunity I’ve been provided with. I like to finish off the games – that’s my mindset when I go onto the field.

“I can’t talk about cementing my place in the team, because the competition is so much, and you need to be flexible about batting in any position and any given situation. My mindset is just to grab as many opportunities as I can and make use of it. “

Although the series turned out to be a roaring success for him personally, Iyer revealed he had had to fight through difficult moments, particularly in the first match, in Lucknow.

“In the first game itself, when I’d batted 12 balls and had 12 runs, I thought I need to charge on from there, because I didn’t get that proper start,” he said. “In the last two games, the starts I got were really good, and from there it’s easy to manoeuvre and manipulate the field. But when you don’t get starts, it’s really important you get your eyes in, and you can target a particular bowler. That really worked out for me in the first game.”