Shreyas Iyer rose from the Ashes to become the vice captain of the Indian ODI side and has not gotten his call for the T20I side as a replacement player for the injured Tilak Varma. Even though BCCI added Shreyas as a mere Varma replacement for the first three T20Is, it will be enough for him to prove his worth for the format. recently, in an interview with another former cricketer, Robin Uthappa, on his YouTube channel, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan said that Shreyas is best suited for the number three position in the T20Is.

 

Shreyas Iyer has been at his best at number three; however, he moved down at four to keep the space for Virat Kohli. In ODI, Shreyas has proved his worth at 4, but he has been pretty irregular in T20Is. However, he played the last T20I in December 2023, against Australia in Bengaluru. And honestly, he has to juggle with his position, shuffling at four and five.

 

With Gautam Gambhir taking up the coaching role, positions are hardly fixed these day. And here Irfan Pathan had his say. He not only will love to fix Shreyas at three, but also highlighted how he improved his skills against fast bowling- one of the key concerns he had before his revamp. Pathan said,

 

"Shreyas at number three, no doubt. Shreyas has the ability to play spin really well. That is one thing. He can play big shots, stand and deliver, and he can also maneuver the ball really well. But whoever saw him in the last IPL, I think he was playing the fast bowlers exceptionally well."

 

Read also: Shreyas Iyer’s Costly Shot Turns Easy Chase into Collapse

 

The slap shot to Bumrah's yorker that went famous

 

Shreyas Iyer slapping a wide yorker off Jasprit Bumrah in the 2025 IPL against the Mumbai Indians became famous for the innovation. Aura—something Iyer is believed to carry these days—has been there since he first appeared in the league, in 2015. Iyer did the same for Delhi capitals, but his then underratedness never let him come to the highlight.

 

However, it's better to be late than to never happen. And this time, the slap shot earned the fame. And Pathan sounded too fond of it. He said,

 

"I remember that one shot he played against Bumrah off a yorker. It was a Mumbai vs Punjab match. Bumrah bowled a yorker and he hit it through the off side for four. I mean, surviving Bumrah’s yorker itself is a tough job. This guy is actually taking his time, playing the ball late, and placing it exactly where he wants, especially towards third man. He knows where the fielder is and is creating scoring shots."

 

Shreyas Iyer T20I stats

 

Notably, Tilak varma sustained an abdominal injury in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, due to which he has been officially ruled out from the first three T20I matches against New Zealand. Iyer, who was on the team for the three math ODI series against the same after an unbelievable recovery from his spleen injury, got added to the squad as a replacement. 

 

So far, he has played 51 T20Is since his debut in 2017. He scored 1104 runs with a strike rate of 136.12, having his highest of 74*. Lately, the leader of three runners-up IPL teams, Shreyas, boasted his IPL chance after scoring 604 runs for Punjab Kings at a strike rate of around 175. 

 

However, him getting a chance in the T20I set-up became problematic after young Tilak Varma gave the selectors no chance to drop him. With Tilak being ruled out, there's a high chance for Iyer to prove his worth in the team if he makes it in the eleven.