Former India batter and BCCI chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar isn't too happy with Shreyas Iyer despite his recent exploits in the Champions Trophy 2025. Iyer was India's highest and overall second highest run-scorer in the tournament with 243 runs in five innings including two fifties.
The former India batter, however, believes that Iyer should have batted throughout the innings in the final against New Zealand which India eventually won by four wickets. After three quick wickets, Iyer scored a handy 48 and was out with India needing 69 more runs to win.
Also Read: ‘It’s the number one project, it’s at the top,’ Australia speedster Starc on IPL
“Iyer did very well but I am not happy [with] the way he got out in the final. He should have continued till the very end and finished the game. But happy to see him realise his potential," Vengsarkar told PTI.
Iyer, who came to bat at number 4 throughout the tournament, was the bridge between top-order and lower-order and his contributions at crunch situations definitely helped India win the tournament.
Vengsarkar also pointed out his dislike for promoting Axar Patel ahead of wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul.
"KL too played a few important innings at number six but [I am] still not convinced [about] Axar Patel batting ahead of him at five. The left-hand right-hand combination could be the only reason," he said.
Rahul was clinical with the bat and remained not out three times out of four he batted. He went on to score 140 runs in four innings at an average of 140 and a strike of 98 with a highest of 42 not out - which came in the final.
Rahul was preferred over Pant despite the left-hand batter and wicketkeeper being India's first choice in T20 World Cup 2024 and on Australia tour prior to the Champions Trophy.
Rahul's exploits in ODI World Cup 2023 in absence of Pant, however, made him the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in ODIs.