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After a disappointing exit from the T20 World Cup 2022 courtesy of a loss against England, the Indian cricket team will square off against New Zealand in a white ball series featuring three T20Is and as many ODIs. While the T20Is will be played from November 18 to 22, the one-day matches will be held from November 25 to 30.
Team India batter Shreyas Iyer and New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson will be two of the players from whom there will be high expectations during the upcoming series. Shreyas was among the standbys in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup, while Ferguson had a reasonable tournament, claiming seven wickets in five matches.
The last time the Indians visited New Zealand in 2020, Shreyas had a memorable tour. He was the leading run-getter in the one-dayers, scoring 217 runs in three matches at an average of 72.33. He also shone in the T20Is, smashing 151 runs in five games at a strike rate of 131.90. However, that contest did not feature Ferguson.
In the build up to the upcoming India-New Zealand series, we analyze three reasons why Ferguson might have the wood over Shreyas.
#1 Shreyas Iyer’s short-ball woes
It is an open secret in world cricket that Shreyas does not enjoy playing the short ball. This big limitation of his has been a key obstacle in his path of being a permanent member of the team across formats despite his humongous talent.
Even in the IPL earlier this year, teams were able to restrict his scoring by targeting his weakness. The frustrated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper ended up throwing his wicket on more than one occasion. Despite his struggles in IPL 2022, the 27-year-old was included in the playing XI for the rescheduled Test against England in Birmingham. On both occasions, he was undone by the short ball.
A good exponent of the bouncer, Ferguson will look to target Shreyas’ rib cage during the white ball series in New Zealand. With his height, he could make life awkward for the Indian right-handed batter. A stern test awaits Shreyas against the Kiwis.
#2 His struggles against genuine pace
Apart from rising deliveries, Shreyas has had his issues against genuine pace as well. He is often hurried up by bowlers who have that extra pace. Ferguson is someone who can constantly clock 145-150 kph with his smooth bowling action.
The tall Kiwi pacer has this twin-weapon in his armory to possibly give Shreyas a hard time. Ferguson can rough him up with pacy short deliveries and then slip in the fast yorker even as the right-handed batter might be expecting another short ball.
The bouncer plus yorker ploy is something that has been used by fast bowlers since ages against batters who struggle against genuine pace. However, despite knowing what might be coming their way, they still fall prey to the plan. That is because the move is more psychological than tactical. Ferguson might look to give Shreyas a working over on similar lines.
#3 Lockie can outfox him with his variations
Ferguson might not be among the most consistent or most successful bowlers in world cricket at the moment. But when it comes to variety in bowling, he is right up there on the list. The Kiwi is among the rare breed of pacers who are equally good with fast deliveries as well as slower ones.
In fact, the 31-year-old has dismissed a number of batters by foxing them for pace when his faster ones haven’t worked. His brilliant slow yorker to dislodge Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Jos Buttler, who was on the rampage in a match against Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2022, instantly comes to mind.
Shreyas is a talented batter no doubt. He will also be confident of doing well in New Zealand, having tasted success during his previous visit. However, he will have to be wary of Ferguson on multiple counts. Not just with pace and bounce, the New Zealand fast bowler might look to outfox the Indian batter with his well-disguised slower ones as well.
