Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu has slammed Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy for his poor decision-making as India suffered a seven-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, November 1.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Rayudu was disappointed with Iyer for giving the ball to part-time spinner Abhishek Sharma when Glenn Phillips came to the crease. Unfortunately, Sharma conceded 13 runs in the over.
“That tactic has been used, and it has never been good. Maybe in the early phases of T20 cricket it worked, but eventually people are ready when you bring a part-timer on. You want to maximize those six balls as a batter. That is exactly what happened, and it shifts the momentum as well. Obviously, in hindsight, you can say a lot of things, but Shreyas definitely does not have the kind of resources the other captains had in terms of bowlers. Eventually, when Shreyas has confidence in the bowlers that are developing like Prince Yadav, he will operate them very differently,” Ambati Rayudu said on Cricbuzz.
Further, Rayudu expressed disappointment at Iyer giving third consecutive over to veteran Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. While New Zealand were 39/1 in five games, they finished the powerplay at 59/1.
“I would have bowled him if a set batter was not around. Tim Seifert had already played two overs against him. So, I would have tried another bowler at that stage. Simply because three overs in a row have been very difficult on bowlers in the past as well. When it comes to Shreyas Iyer and Gautam Gambhir, I don’t think they like to relay messages in real time. Shreyas Iyer does not like too many inputs and information. That should change eventually because you need to shift with the times,” Rayudu added.
