India vs New Zealand: Shreyas Iyer says he is 'very flexible' and comfortable batting at any position

Iyer, who is part of the 16-member Indian squad for the T20I series against New Zealand starting on Wednesday, was rewarded for his consistent performances in the domestic circuit and the IPL over the last two years.

PTI, Oct, 31 2017

New Delhi: Uncapped Shreyas Iyer is comfortable batting at any position and said on Tuesday that scoring a century against South Africa A in a tournament final earlier this year has been satisfying.

Iyer, who is part of the 16-member Indian squad for the T20I series against New Zealand starting on Wednesday, was rewarded for his consistent performances in the domestic circuit and the IPL over the last two years.

Iyer led India A to a tri-series title in South Africa earlier this year, hitting a big hundred against South Africa A in the final of the tournament, which also had Afghanistan A.

File image of Shreyas Iyer. Image courtesy: News18

File image of Shreyas Iyer. Image courtesy: News18

"It was very helpful for me. I was going through a good patch, got good starts, but I was not able to convert them into big knocks till the final," Iyer told reporters on the eve of the first T20 International against New Zealand.

"It (the final) was a big game, it (the knock) was really satisfying that it came through and obviously, once you get the team through, you get a lot of attention from the teammates as well."

Iyer said he is flexible batting at any position.

"I think I am very flexible. I don't mind batting at any number. Even in Indian Premier League (IPL) this year, I was shuffled from number four to number three. It did not really matter to as I am comfortable," Iyer said.

He added: "Whatever number I bat, if I get to play the game, I will see to it that I give my best."

As usual, the Indian team had an optional practice session, but skipper Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar skipped it.

Iyer said he was hoping to be a part of the team in at least one of the three T20 games.

"I am hoping to be a part of the playing XI. There are three matches and it will be great for me even if I am able to play one game."

The Mumbai batsman scored 809 runs at 50.56 in his debut Ranji Trophy season (2014/15) to finish as his team's highest run-scorer.

The first T20 International in New Delhi is set to be veteran seamer Ashish Nehra's last game in competitive cricket.

Published Date: Oct 31, 2017 | Updated Date: Oct 31, 2017



Rank Team Points Rating
1 India 4493 125
2 South Africa 3767 111
3 England 4497 105
4 New Zealand 3114 97
5 Australia 3294 97
Rank Team Points Rating
1 South Africa 6386 120
2 India 6379 120
3 Australia 5948 114
4 England 6156 114
5 New Zealand 5432 111
Rank Team Points Rating
1 New Zealand 1625 125
2 Pakistan 2843 124
3 West Indies 2395 120
4 England 2029 119
5 India 2545 116