The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the India cricket team’s squad for the India vs. England ODI series and the ICC Champions Trophy on January 18. There weren’t many surprises. Only Mohammed Siraj’s exclusion seemed like a debatable topic. But it turns out that even Shreyas Iyer could have been left out as well.
BCCI was unsure about Shreyas Iyer
The selection meeting, which involved Team India captain Rohit Sharma and Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar, didn’t select the middle order from the get-go. There was discussion about his place in the team despite being one of the best batters from the Men in Blue in the ODI World Cup 2023.
“There was quite a fair bit of debate on his inclusion in the lengthy selection meeting in Mumbai recently. Ultimately, those backing him cited his ODI average (47.69), and he was selected,” a source told TOI.
Shreyas Iyer at No. 4 in ODIs
For the unaware, Shreyas Iyer holds two major records in 50-over cricket. The fastest hundred in the knockout matches of the ODI World Cup belongs to him. He also happens to be the only batter in the history of One-Day cricket to have scored 1000 runs at an average of over 50 and a strike rate of more than 100.
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Wasn’t supposed to play in Nagpur
Yet, despite all of this, he wasn’t an immediate pick for the ICC Champions Trophy. In fact, even after being selected, the team management doesn’t seem to trust him. He wasn’t even going to be playing in the India vs. England 1st ODI, but a sudden injury to Virat Kohli had seen him get a chance.
“As you all know, I wasn’t supposed to play today. Virat, unfortunately, got injured, and then I got the opportunity. I kept myself prepared. I knew that at any point in time, I could get a chance to play,” Iyer had said in Nagpur.
The result of this, everyone knows. He scored a 30-ball fifty and shocked everyone with his short-ball play, which is often seen as a weakness of his. He might still not play in the second ODI in Cuttack given that Kohli will return to the team, but to think that one of the best No. 4 batters the game has ever seen in 50-over cricket wasn’t 100% confirmed to be selected in India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy seems rather shocking.
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