I hope Shreyas Iyer gets a consistent run: Gautam Gambhir

Team India’s middle-order muddle seems to be a never-ending issue. They continue to find a stable batsman and Shreyas Iyer is the latest entrant in the team who has been preferred ahead of Manish Pandey to do the job. The Mumbai lad passed the first test though scoring an enterprising 71 off just 68 deliveries batting at number five on Sunday. It is important for him to be consistent now to be a long term member of the team and Gautam Gambhir is hoping that Iyer gets a longer run in the middle-order irrespective of his performances.

The team management has been guilty of not sticking with one player at number four and tried as many as 13 players at the position. As many as four players batted at the debated position in the World Cup as well and by picking Iyer and Pandey, they are looking at having a permanent solution to the problem. At the moment Rishabh Pant is being backed at four while Iyer batted at five in the second ODI against the Windies.

I have spent time with him in the dressing room

In his column for the Times of India ahead of the second match, Gautam Gambhir heaped praises for Shreyas Iyer and felt that the talented batsman gets a decent run this time in the team. “India, on the other hand, have a little bit of a headache in trying to give everyone a game. I have spent time with him in the Delhi Capitals’ dressing room. He has the setup and the works to succeed at this level. I just hope he gets a consistent run rather than a truncated one,” he wrote.

Gambhir also vented out his frustration at the way the Windies is playing at the moment and felt they should prepare the pitches which suit them to have any chance to defeat a strong Indian team. “If I put myself in the WI camp, the first thing I would do is to make fast, bouncy wickets for all three formats.

“Yes, India have more than a decent pace attack but if the hosts are to have any chance at all, it is on good fast wickets. Right now they are dishing out batting pitches, which is exactly what India want,” the cricketer turned politician further added.