‘He cannot be replaced’ – Sunil Gavaskar on Virat Kohli’s number three position in T20Is

Shreyas Iyer was the catalyst with the willow in India’s three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at home. The right-handed batter scored half-centuries in all 3 matches of the series, helped the ‘Men in Blue’ crush their opposition 3-0, and also walked away with the Player of the Series award.

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels that when Virat Kohli returns back to the Indian side, he will play at No.3. Adding that a player of Kohli’s stature is irreplaceable, Gavaskar opined that Shreyas Iyer can either be slotted in at No.4 or No.5 in the batting order.

“It’s a great problem to have. Obviously Virat Kohli can’t be replaced. He will probably come in at No.3, there is no question about it. But then you can use somebody like a Shreyas Iyer at No.4 or 5. Suryakumar, the way he has been batting, he is got to be included. It is just the plus, plus as far as the team is concerned,” said Gavaskar in a chat on Star Sports.

India can go with an all-out bowling attack: Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar also added that because of India’s strength in the batting department, they can field an all-out bowling attack, and not look for bowlers who can also bat. The former Indian skipper concluded by stating that India can field pure bowlers like Avesh Khan and Mohammed Siraj in their side due to their batting depth.

“There are so many options. And it allows you to go in with pure bowlers and not bowlers who can bat. With a top-batting line-up, you can go in with someone like Mohammed Siraj or Avesh Khan, who is not known as a batsman. You don’t have to look for someone who can bat like Shardul Thakur or Deepak Chahar or Bhuvneshwar Kumar. You might think in terms of all-out attack,” concluded Sunil Gavaskar.