Shreyas Iyer says he can bat anywhere before India-NZ T20I series

Indian captain Shreyas Iyer has stated he is comfortable batting at any position in the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand and does not intend to push himself to the top of the order. The series begins on Thursday with the first match in Christchurch.

Iyer highlighted the strength of the opening pair, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, along with number three batter Ishan Kishan, as dominant forces in the team. Speaking to reporters, he emphasised the importance of flexibility among the batsmen depending on the match situation. “I feel that as per the demands and situations in a match, you have to be flexible according to that. If you see here, there are a lot of batters who cannot be that destructive down the order. I feel I can bat at any number. It depends on the situation. If you see the last World Cup, Ishan was batting at number three and he is the world’s number one T20I batter right now. So I do not foresee myself pushing to the top. Whoever is in the team has to be flexible and be happy with the number you get,” he said.

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The five-match series is notable for Iyer as both captain and batter, as he has struggled for consistent form in T20 Internationals. Since taking on the captaincy, Iyer has accumulated 590 runs across 21 innings with an average of 34.70 and a strike rate exceeding 152, including one century and two fifties. His maiden T20I century and unbeaten 80 against England significantly boosted his batting statistics.

Against New Zealand specifically, Iyer has scored 225 runs in 13 matches and 11 innings with an average of 25.00 and a strike rate of 124.30, including one fifty and a top score of 58 not out. His overall cross-format record against New Zealand is stronger, with 1,098 runs in 28 matches at an average of 43.92 and a strike rate close to 90. This includes three centuries and six fifties, with his highest score of 105 achieved during the 2023 World Cup semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium.

Iyer also boasts an impressive record batting in New Zealand, accumulating 512 international runs in 13 matches and 12 innings at an average of 51.20 and a strike rate of 104.91, with one century and four fifties, including a top score of 103. In T20Is played in New Zealand, he has scored 166 runs over seven matches with an average of 33.20 and a strike rate of 131.74, including one fifty.

In 2024, across all formats, Iyer has scored 809 runs in 30 innings at an average of 32.36, with one century and three fifties.

India’s T20I squad for the series comprises Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav.