Shreyas Iyer confident of making his international debut in New Zealand T20I

For long, Shreyas Iyer has been on the periphery of Indian cricket team and even though he has been named in the Test squads for the fourth and final Test against Australia, he never got a place in the playing XI. However, the right-handed batsman is positive that the India vs New Zealand three-match T20I series will finally give him a chance to make his international debut. The series is scheduled to begin on Wednesday in New Delhi.

“Obviously I am hoping that if I am selected (in the squad) then I will play as well. We have three matches and if I play even one then it is a good feeling. I am not thinking about playing. Even if I am sitting out, I will put effort. In the end, the team should win,” The Indian Express reported Iyer saying. 

A place in the middle-order will be required for Iyer in order to accommodate him in the playing XI. In the limited overs cricket, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have been the in-form openers for India. However, Iyer stated that he is comfortable playing at any batting position.

“I am very flexible and I don’t mind batting at any number. Even in the IPL I was shuffled from number four to number three and it didn’t really matter because I am comfortable playing in any position. If I play the game, I’ll bat at any number and will give my best.”

Recently, Iyer led the India ‘A’ to a series win in South Africa and had quite a good stint, also scoring a century in the final game against South Africa ‘A’. According to him, that innings boosted his confidence.

“It was really helpful for me as it was the final game. South Africa A team was very challenging. We had lost the first game against them and the second game went till the last over. The final was the decider and I was having a good run. I was getting starts but was not able to convert them. In the final, it came out really well and it was a satisfying to get the team through. Obviously when you do that you get a lot of attention from your teammates as well. You have to contribute in bits and pieces as well.” 

India succeeded in defeating New Zealand 2-1 in the ODI series but the Black Caps were pretty competitive in every match of the series. India managed to win by six runs in the deciding ODI in Kanpur. But, Iyer acknowledged the efforts of New Zealand and said that they comparatively have been very good side.

“I have not attended the team meeting yet. New Zealand have a good side. They are playing well and this team is challenging compared to other teams,” he said.