Shreyas Iyer copying Sunil Narine's action© X (Twitter)
The lack of all-rounders in the Indian cricket team has been highlighted by many over the years. Team India's struggles at ICC events over the last decade has primarily been due to the absence of multiple genuine all-round options. However, the scenario is changing, with many outright batters trying to sharpen their skills with the ball. Shreyas Iyer is one such player. Not part of Team India's T20I and Test setup at present, Iyer was spotting adding the skill of bowling to his resume in the Buchi Babu tournament match between Mumbai and TNCA XI.
Iyer, who also captained the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the Indian Premier League 2024 title this year, bowled in a quite similar fashion to his IPL teammate Sunil Narine. The video of Iyer's bowling has, hence, gone viral on social media, with fans highlighting the uncanny similarity between his and Narine's action.
Shreyas Iyer is bowling and that too in the style of Sunil Narine pic.twitter.com/L7QSE0Xqt8
— Pick-up Shot (@96ShreyasIyer) August 27, 2024
Iyer came into the attack for Mumbai in the 90th over, when Tamil Nadu's had put 287/5 on the scoreboard. Iyer gave away just one run in the first 5 deliveries before being dispatched for a six on the final ball by R Sonu Yadav.
Though it isn't yet known if the Knight Riders intend to retain Iyer next season, ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, the franchise might have another all-rounder in its roster if he continues to work on his bowling skills.
What social media couldn't stop talking about was the similarity between Iyer and Narine's action, and how Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir might perceive it.