Shreyas Iyer is aware that he might not start at the T20 World Cup 2022: Dinesh Karthik

Shreyas Iyer has done a world of good to his chances of finding a spot in the Indian T20I squad come the T20 World Cup in Australia. With his recent batting exploits, Iyer has made a case of being an important cog in the wheel for India going forward.

A team that continues to have a problem of plenty with regards to the limited slots available, would welcome some valuable clarity that the 27-year-old has brought with his performances. Many cricketing experts are of the view that the talented batter plays a crucial role in India’s frame of things if they want to win the upcoming mega tournament. One of the many endorsing this view is Indian cricketer, Dinesh Karthik.

Karthik thinks that with his recent outings for India, Iyer has most likely sealed his spot in the squad that would be travelling to Australia in October this year for the T20 World Cup. He feels the batter has made a strong case for himself to be in India’s plans but would himself be aware that he might not be a sure starter in the playing XI when the World Cup begins. However, the wicketkeeper-batter was all praise for Iyer, lauding the maturity and consistency in his performances.

“I think he’s aware at the back of his mind that he might not start at the World Cup. But, see, the first step is to put a seat on that flight and he for sure with these performances guarantees a strong place and a strong contention,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.

“When you have such consistent performances, you can’t really ignore the quality of the player… Number 3 is a very crucial position as well. When you have a chance and you play in this fashion it really adds a lot of value. A lot of maturity has been seen through these innings. It’s about understanding what’s the situation of the game, how are you going to approach it. All those things Shreyas ticked nicely. And today I like the approach in terms of countering the bowling. It wasn’t about approaching every innings in the same fashion,” he added.

Finishing the game really counts, Iyer was able to do that: Dinesh Karthik

Karthik further gave his take on Iyer’s innings in the last game saying that the fact that he finished the game well for India speaks volumes about his caliber.

“When you have finished the game, stayed there till the end, and not just crossed a milestone and say ‘I’ve had a great day out there and I can take more chances.’ Finishing the game really really counts and he was able to do that. Full marks to him for having that kind of approach… These things will matter for him going forward and will give him that added cushion for Australia,” he said.

India won the second T20I against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala on Saturday and lead the three-match series 2-0. Iyer, who batted at the No. 3 positions in both games struck back to half-centuries and was also declared player of the match in the second T20I for his 74-run knock.