A real force in the middle: Iyer keeps fire burning

Mumbai batter has been the standout No 4 for India in recent years

- GOMESH S @Cuttack

ON the eve of the first ODI against England, some of the Indian batters were having a hit at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal were the first to pair up as the duo had an intense session facing throwdowns. On the other side of the square were Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja playing spinners.

That is when, wearing a full-sleeve training jersey and a blue floppy hat, Shreyas Iyer walked in. He would go on to take slip catches alongside Rishabh Pant, shadow bat behind Rohit Sharma while he was taking throwdowns for the next hour. Almost as if he might not necessarily be playing. Turns out, he wasn't. Not until late in the night, when he was watching a movie and got told by the captain that he actually might as Kohli had reported a sore right knee.