India won the first ODI against England at Nagpur by a marginal 4 wickets victory. Shubman Gill was awarded as man of the match but Shreyas Iyer has also managed to make a significant impact in the innings. Iyer made 59 runs in just 36 balls further proving to his capabilities in the white ball format. It was later revealed that if Virat Kohli has been included Shreyas Iyer would have been benched. Ricky Ponting has taken a subtle dig at the selector, expressing his surprise that why Shreyas hasn’t been given any permanent place in India’s Whiteball team, despite his excellent form and ability to dominate spinners on continent pitches.
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Ricky Ponting said - "I've been a little bit surprised that Shreyas Iyer has been out of India's side last couple of years. He had a terrific ODI World Cup where he played beautifully in middle order & I actually felt then that he'd almost cemented that spot & made that his own".
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World Cup 2023 Performance
Iyer had an outstanding performance in the World Cup ODI 2023. He scored 530 runs and emerged as the seventh highest run scorer in the global tournament. At only 30 years old, Iyer has been stellar in domestic cricket as well, having scored two centuries for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare trophy.
Focus on Champions Trophy
Shreyas Iyer has managed to secure a spot in the Champions Trophy squad. Ponting believes Iyer will perform well in the tournament which is starting from February 19. He believes that he will play strongly against the spin bowling. Ponting is also the coach of Punjab Kings who has purchased a year for 26.75 cr for the upcoming IPL season.