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India's no.4 batter Shreyas Iyer has been struggling for form in the ongoing World Cup 2023. On October 31, Iyer turned up for the optional practice session to overcome his long-running struggle against the short ball which has been exploited in the ongoing World Cup 2023.
No bowler from India's pace attack that demolished defending champions England's batting lineup turned up for practice as they opted to rest their legs.
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Meanwhile, in the nets, Iyer faced a barrage of short balls from throwdown specialists and local net bowlers. He got inputs from head coach Rahul Dravid as well during the two-hour practice session. Throwdown specialists D Raghavendra, the left-handed Sri Lankan Nuwan Seneviratne, and batting coach Vikram Rathour were in attendance as well.
Iyer was seen sporting a chest guard over his training jersey. It was clear that he wanted to focus on countering the short balls only. Towards the end of his net session, as Iyer was done with hooking and pulling the short balls, Dravid decided to pitch it up and get Iyer to drive as well. Fielding coach T Dilip who has become viral for his ‘best fielder’ award ceremonies helped the Mumbaikar as well.
Iyer's only half-century came against Pakistan. He has struggled against other teams. New Zealand and England bowlers kept him on his toes and managed to get his wicket. In Dharamsala, he got out pulling a short delivery as he found the fielder in deep. In the next game, he went for a non-existent pull shot and handed an easy catch inside the 30-yard circle.
He has scored 134 runs from six innings so far. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan is warming the benches too. In an injured Hardik Pandya’s absence, Suryakumar Yadav instilled confidence as he scored 49 runs from 47 balls on a tough pitch. Meanwhile, a few former cricketers have said that Kishan should replace him in the playing XI, the team management may give him another chance on his homeground, Wankhede Stadium, against Sri Lanka on November 2.
After a 100-run win over England, India are at the top of the table with six consecutive wins. Sri Lanka’s loss to Afghanistan also confirmed their berth in the semi-final mathematically.
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