Kohli cannot be replaced by Iyer when first-choice players return to the team: Gavaskar

A perfect performance by Shreyas Iyer in the three T20I series against Sri Lanka has given the T20 World Cup selection committee a bigger, but happy, headache. When Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav return, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar will have a say on Iyer’s batting position. 

Iyer became the third player to be included in the playing XI after Kohli was freed from the bio bubble by the selectors prior to the third T20I match against West Indies. Against Sri Lanka he scored 204 runs laced with three consecutive half-centuries, beating the run tally against Australia by 25 runs. Iyer will move down the order with Kohli’s return, but India also has Suryakumar Yadav, who was the Player of the Match in the West Indies series. ”I’m glad we have this problem. We can’t replace Kohli. Without a doubt, he’ll land at No.3. However, at No.4 and No.5, you can use somebody like Shreyas Iyer. With the way he has batted, Suryakumar deserves inclusion. It is a plus for the team,” stated Gavaskar. “There are a lot of options.” For example, a top-batting line-up can go with someone like Mohammed Siraj or Avesh Khan, who aren’t known for being batsmen. Unlike Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar, or Bhuvneshwar Kumar, you don’t have to choose someone who can bat. “You could focus on all-out attack,” he added. 

There will be two-Test series following the T20I series. Because of the Indian Premier League, India now has no T20I action for the next two months but will host South Africa in June for a five-match T20I series.