IND vs SA 2022 | Shreyas Iyer has struggled against pace, asserts Irfan Pathan

Shreyas Iyer's problems against the fast bowlers have come to the fore once again. In the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, the top-order batter has looked particularly uncomfortable against bowlers who are steaming in and testing him with the short ball. Although Iyer has performed decently in the series so far, he has not been able to score the big runs as he did in the series against Sri Lanka earlier this year.

The young Indian batter has scored runs at ease when it comes to batting against spinners but the same can't be said when he is up against pacers. Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan talked about the same and said that even during the IPL, Shreyas Iyer did not look comfortable against the quicks and even his strike rate goes down in such situations. 

"Yes obviously, he has struggled against pace, not only in this series but in quite a few matches (before that). Even in the IPL, we have seen that when it comes to fast bowlers who are bowling 140-plus, he has struggled a little. His strike rate has also gone down," Irfan Pathan told Star Sports.

Irfan Pathan feels that Shreyas Iyer has to improve this area of his game especially when the ball comes near his shoulders. 

"He likes to play against spinners and if you are bowling less than 140 kph, he is very much comfortable. But the one area of his game he needs to improve is facing the fast bowlers, especially when the ball comes close to his shoulders," Pathan added.