'Shreyas Iyer very important for India's WTC hopes': Ex-India cricketer showers praise on Mumbai batter

India batter Shreyas Iyer has been in great form in every format this year. He has become a name of faith in the Indian middle order and it has once again been proved in the just-concluded second Test against Bangladesh. Iyer played a vital knock of 29 runs in the fourth innings that helped India come out of a troublesome situation and register a three-wicket victory. He also smashed a half-century in the first innings scoring 87 runs off 105 deliveries. Following the performances, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif showered much appreciation on the batter terming him “very important for India’s WTC hopes.”

Shreyas Iyer very important for India’s WTC hopes. Fourth day pitch, spinners in form, but he showed skills to survive and win. Will be vital for home series against Australia next year. @ShreyasIyer15

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) December 25, 2022

Iyer has demonstrated his sheer expertise in red-ball cricket in recent times. He was exceptionally consistent during the 2022 cycle. The right-handed batter has recorded a total of 442 runs in the white jersey playing just 5 Test matches at an impressive average of 60.28. He has also got 4 half-centuries under his belt with the best score of 92 runs. Referring to the numbers, Kaif explained that Iyer would be a crucial component for India in the upcoming high-voltage Test series against Australia slated for the following year on home soil.

Taking to Twitter, the ex-India batter wrote, “Shreyas Iyer is very important for India’s WTC hopes. Fourth-day pitch, the spinners were in form, but he showed skills to survive and win. Will be vital for the home series against Australia next year.”

Coming in to chase a mere 145 runs in the fourth innings, the other India batters including top names like Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara failed significantly during the second Test in Mirpur. However, Iyer had a strong hold on the steering. He stuck to the crease when there was just a come-and-go situation at the other end. The 28-year-old joined hands with all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin and stitched a 71-run partnership leading India to cross the victory line.

This year, Iyer has recorded the most international runs among Indian players with an excellent figure of 1609 combining all formats. He has amassed overall 14 half-centuries and one ton at a batting average of 48.75. Apart from the longest format, the Mumbai batter has had a successful year in limited-over cricket. While he has summed up 724 runs in 17 ODIs, Iyer was parallelly spectacular in the T20Is producing 463 runs at a strike rate of 141.15.

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