Suryakumar Yadav Or Shreyas Iyer? R Ashwin Picks His No. 3 Batter For NZ T20Is

Ravichandran Ashwin feels Shreyas Iyer 'has earned the right' to take up the No. 3 spot in New Zealand T20Is, over Suryakumar Yadav.

The Indian cricket team has begun a new era in T20I cricket after their disappointing exit from the T20 World Cup 2022. With Hardik Pandya a skipper on the tour of New Zealand, India have given the opportunity to the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Umran Malik, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan etc. But, a few regulars like Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, etc. are also there. As far as the No. 3 role is concerned, there seems to be big competition between Suryakumar and Iyer.

In the T20 World Cup, it was Virat Kohli who took up the No. 3 spot while Surya batted at No. 4. With Kohli not being a part of the series, Iyer comes in as a like-for-like replacement. But, there are some who feel Surya can be a more impactful player if he gets to play one step higher.

In his video on YouTube, however, Ashwin said that Iyer should be given the No. 3 spot as he has "earned his right".

"Anyway, Shreyas Iyer at 3, and Suryakumar Yadav at 4 are a lock. There will be a temptation to send Suryakumar Yadav at 3. But I think Shreyas has earned his right. So, Shreyas will go at three and Surya will bat at 4," Ashwin said.

The veteran off-spinner also spoke about the prospects of Rishabh Pant taking up the opener's spot. He said if Pant gets to open, then Washington Sundar should take up the No. 5 role, being a left-hander.