Former Head Coach of Team India Ravi Shastri has advised Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer to be careful of the match situation while taking on the spinners in IPL 2022. Shastri further added that if Iyer gives some more time to himself in the middle, he can score “big runs” in the upcoming matches as well.
Iyer got out by leg-spinners in KKR’s last two games where against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) he was dismissed by Wanindu Hasaranga for 13 (10). Against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Friday, he was batting well but eventually got out for 26 off just 14 balls, while mistiming a slog-sweep off Rahul Chahar.
Ravi Shastri although backed Iyer’s skills against spin, saying that he knows the risks and will “always be aggressive” against the slower bowlers as well. He stated that Iyer just needs to avoid being in hurry and take his time to hit the big shots.
He told ESPNcricinfo: “Shreyas will always be aggressive against spin. He knows it’s his strength as well. If it comes off, he’ll hit 3-4 sixes. But the way he’s got out, I believe, as a captain, he should be a bit mindful of the state of the game, the situation, and what the team needs from him. And he should take some time. The way he got out in the last two matches, he could’ve easily taken four-five balls and tried that shot. There was no need to hurry. If he does that, he’ll perhaps score runs and big runs.”
Shastri also added: “What I’ve seen with Shreyas is that he normally hits straight. The two times he’s got out in this IPL, the first ball was so close to him that he couldn’t get the elevation and the ball went flat to the boundary. The second time he went for a cross-batted shot and it lobbed up in the air. So whenever he hits straighter – mid-on, down the ground, mid-off – his sixes come off and travel a long distance.”
However, KKR has been playing against Mumbai Indians and they have a worse record against them as they lost 22 games out of 27. Ravi Shastri, however, said Shreyas Iyer doesn’t need any extra motivation for this game.
“It’s a big match and he doesn’t require any motivation. He’s a Mumbai player himself and Pat Cummins’ return has strengthened the team as well. They’ve played some good cricket so far; they are a good side and Shreyas has captained really well too. I think he’ll be in a good frame of mind. He’ll also be aware that Mumbai Indians are under pressure and that this is the time to catch them off-guard. It’ll be a good game,” Ravi Shastri concluded.
