Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir reckons Shreyas Iyer can replace Cheteshwar Pujara as the number three batter in India’s Test playing XI.
Pujara has been dropped from the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka and Gambhir wants Iyer to bat one down in the batting order.
Pujara wasn’t in the best of forms in the last couple of years and thus he was shown the exit doors by the national selectors. On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer was able to grab his chance on his Test debut as he scored a fine hundred against New Zealand in Kanpur. Furthermore, he scored fifty in the second innings against the Kiwis.
Furthermore, Iyer has an impressive first-class record as he has amassed 4794 runs in 56 matches at a fine average of 52.10 while playing for Mumbai. Thus, Iyer will look to grab his chances in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.
“He has been brilliant so far. He showed it during his innings against New Zealand. Not everyone can score a century in their first Test innings. He has got all the shots and has the temperament of a middle-order batter. He can build an innings well and play anchor. He can be the perfect No. 3 batter for India. I don’t see why he can’t replace Pujara in India’s Playing XI,” Gambhir had said during the Byju’s Cricket Live show.
Meanwhile, apart from Cheteshwar Pujara, the Indian selectors also decided to drop Ajinkya Rahane from the Test team as he was also not able to deliver the goods for the team.
In the absence of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, it will be a good chance for the likes of Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, and Shreyas Iyer to take their opportunities.
Test squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin (subject to fitness), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar.
The first Test match between India and Sri Lanka will be played in Mohali from March 4.
