Shreyas Iyer reveals he wasn’t part of original playing XI for first ODI vs England, explains details – India TV

Shreyas Iyer, who was terrific for India in the ODI World Cup 2023, lost his spot in the playing XI after flopping in the back-to-back ODIs against Sri Lanka in 2024. Rishabh Pant then replaced him in the playing XI. Since then, Iyer scored plenty of runs in domestic cricket and was in the scheme of things for the upcoming Champions Trophy, slated to begin on February 19.

Given his performance in the last ICC tournament and his current form, the Mumbai-born was expected to be a part of the playing XI in the first ODI against England in Nagpur. However, the cricketer revealed that he wasn’t in contention to feature, and only a last-minute injury to star batter Virat Kohli opened the doors for him. While speaking to Star Sports after the game, the 30-year-old noted that the captain Rohit Sharma called him on the eve of the match informing him about his possibility to feature.

Meanwhile, he was stunning with the bat in the first ODI against England. Chasing 249 runs, the hosts were reduced to 19/2, and that’s when Shreyas and Shubman Gill took control of the situation and stitched a crucial partnership of 94 runs. Shreyas, particularly was phenomenal during his stay on the crease as he made 59 runs off 36 deliveries. He took on the English bowlers and managed to deal well against short-length deliveries, which was once a big problem for him.

His blistering knock helped Gill settle down in the middle, as the youngster went on to score 87 runs. Axar Patel supported him well, scoring 52 runs as India won the match by four wickets. In the meantime, it needs to be seen if Shreyas manages to hold on to his spot when Kohli returns. As things stand, the Indian team management is set to back Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma as openers, followed by Gill at three and Kohli at four.