‘When your weakness is exposed…’: Misbah-ul-Haq on Shreyas Iyer’s short ball struggle | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Shreyas Iyer‘s inability to play the short ball has become a widely discussed topic and his removal from the team is imminent once Hardik Pandya makes his way back into the team.
Iyer fell to the short ball against New Zealand in Dharamsala and he perished again in the same fashion in last game against England in Lucknow.Speaking on Iyer’s trouble against the short ball, former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq highlighted the fact that the batter is overthinking about the same and he goes for the pull shot on balls which aren’t suitable for pulling.
“His average against fast bowling is around 19-20, and he struggles with short balls. When your weakness is exposed, all teams will take advantage of it. He anticipates the short ball, and often, even against short-of-length deliveries, which aren’t suitable for pulling, like the one against England, he attempts the shot. So, there’s an overthinking issue about the short ball, leading to trouble,” Misbah said during the discussion on ASports.

Misbah also casts doubt on Iyer’s place in the team saying it will be difficult for him when all-rounder Pandya returns from injury.
“Hardik Pandya needs to make a comeback once he’s fit. Since the beginning, I’ve felt that KL Rahul at No. 5 is too late. He’s a skilled player and should bat at No. 4. When Hardik returns, Suryakumar Yadav can bat at 6, and Jadeja at 7. At that point, selecting Iyer would become challenging,” he added.
To overcome his longstanding struggles, Iyer trained at the nets during the optional session in Mumbai and faced plenty of short balls from throwdown specialists in the session that lasted for nearly two hours under the sun.