Irfan Pathan makes massive Virat Kohli-Shreyas Iyer comparison ahead of 5th NZ vs IND 2026 T20I

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan described Shreyas Iyer as the best chaser after Virat Kohli. He, however, urged the Indian T20I skipper to take a bit of time and get his eye before going for the big strokes.

While India are 3-1 up in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Shreyas has been disappointing with the bat. In four innings, he has only managed to score 76 runs at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 126.67.

During a discussion on Cricinfo, Pathan praised Shreyas' chasing skills. He, however, urged the right-handed batter to be a bit more patient before looking to play the big strokes. The former India all-rounder said:

"I really believe that, after Virat Kohli, if there's anyone who is a really good chaser, it's him. We have seen that in the past. For that, he needs to get in. Once he gets in, I really think he can get the strike rate up to 180 and 200."

"Shreyas is a kind of player who can afford to take his time. I understand that as a leader, he needs to do what the others are doing as well. If the leader stays behind, that will put pressure on Shreyas Iyer. But Shreyas needs to understand his game. His game is to take a bit of time at the start. He is a kind of player who can hit sixes against the spinners at will. You know, he can stand and deliver," Pathan added.

Shreyas kicked off the T20I series against New Zealand with a fluent 42 off 28 in Christchurch. In the last three T20Is, he has registered scores of 7, 5 & 22.

"He needs to just look after his timing" - Pathan on Shreyas' dismissals

Reflecting on Shreyas' dismissals in the last two T20Is, Pathan opined that the Indian captain has tried to hit the ball too hard. Advising him to focus on his timing, he commented:

"In the third T20I, against Santner as well, you know how he got out. The ball was really slow and he went really hard. In the last game in Auckland as well, he went away from the stump and he went hard again. He needs to just look after his timing. Once he works on his timing, there is no ground in the world that is big for him."

In 72 T20I innings so far, Shreyas has scored 1,770 runs at an average of 31.05 and a strike rate of 140.69, with one hundred and 10 half-centuries.

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