Champions Trophy preparation: Shreyas Iyer ‘important player’ for India, says Gautam Gambhir

Iyer displayed excellent form during the just-concluded 3-0 ODI series sweep against England, hitting a counter-attacking 36-ball 59 in the opener when India were 19/2 chasing 249 in Nagpur, and scoring 44 and 78 in the next two games

Ahmedabad: India head coach Gautam Gambhir has rubbished speculation that Shreyas Iyer was being side-lined from the ODI set-up despite his brilliant form, saying that the consistent right-hander was always in the “scheme of things” and will be an important player in this month’s Champions Trophy.

Iyer displayed excellent form during the just-concluded 3-0 ODI series sweep against England, hitting a counter-attacking 36-ball 59 in the opener when India were 19/2 chasing 249 in Nagpur, and scoring 44 and 78 in the next two games.

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After the opening match, he created quite a stir by stating that he got into the side only after Virat Kohli had to sit out of the game because of a sore knee. This led to speculation that he would be dropped for Kohli in the next two games.

“He wasn’t supposed to be benched throughout the series. We wanted to give Yashasvi (Jaiswal) a go in the first game and see what he can bring on the table because he was in (a) really good form in Australia,” Gambhir said.

Iyer was preferred over Jaiswal eventually and Gambhir described him as an “important player” in the side. “I know that you can’t judge someone (Jaiswal) by one innings. But we always knew that Shreyas was going to be an important player for us. Sometimes when you’ve only got three games, you want to try and rotate your squad as well,” the coach reasoned.

“(And) when you’ve got Champions Trophy around the corner, you want to try and maximise these three games and try and give everyone an opportunity. But Shreyas was always in the scheme of things (and it is) good that he played all the three games,” Gambhir added. The Champions Trophy gets underway on February 19 with India talking Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai.

Harshit and Arshdeep will have to step up

Someone’s missed opportunity is another person’s golden chance, believes Gambhir, who expects the likes of Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh to step up and fill the void created by pace talisman Jasprit Bumrah’s injury-forced absence from the Champions Trophy.

Bumrah, who played a decisive role in India’s T20 World Cup win last year with 15 wickets including a vital spell in the final, has been ruled out of the eight-team event which begins on February 19 owing to a nagging back problem.

“Someone missing out opportunity could be a great opportunity for someone else as well, that is how sport goes. Hopefully, these guys (Rana, Arshdeep and Mohammed Shami) can deliver and put their hand up and do the job for the team,” he said.

“…it’s a great opportunity for them to try and deliver for the country, (it is) as simple as it can get. What we don’t have, we don’t have. What we have is what we have, and we’re going to try and go with a very clear mind,” he added.

Bumrah’s replacement, Rana, has done reasonably well and was drafted into the Champions Trophy squad on Tuesday night.

“I think guys have shown some really good signs. Harshit has come along really well. Arsh (Arshdeep) was really good today (Wednesday) as well. Obviously, you would always miss a bowler like Jasprit Bumrah,” Gambhir said.

“But then, it is always good to have someone like Mohammed Shami back with his experience and quality.” When asked if Bumrah’s absence will give opposition teams any psychological advantage over India, Gambhir said, “We can’t help it.” “If he’s not available, he’s not available. If he’s injured, he’s injured,” Gambhir said.

“Whether it’s me, (or) whether it’s the captain, we can’t do much about it. We know that he’s an important factor, but as I just mentioned, people like Harshit, Arsh (and) Mohammed Shami, all these guys will put their hand up.”

Axar’s elevation to No.5

Gambhir said the promotion of all-rounder Axar Patel at No 5 in the first two ODIs was largely to ensure a left-handed batter in the mix. “That’s the way cricket is meant to be played. I know a lot of people talk about it but that’s the way we’ve got to play the game and that’s the way cricket should be played,” he said.

“It’s not about the batting order, it’s about who can create what (kind of) impact. If you have the option of putting a quality left-hander in the middle, why won’t you do that? Why would you want to have top five as right-handers?” he asked.

Gambhir said he the only criteria for deciding the order is the impact assessment of a player, which he believes, cannot be done purely through statistics.

“We don’t look at averages and stats and all that stuff, we look at who can deliver more at that number and Axar has done fabulously well, (in) both the games he got the opportunity, (and) he delivered for us,” he said. “I know there will always be people talking about it but I think that’s the way we want to go in the future as well,” he added.