Basit Ali Criticizes Shreyas Iyer: "You Are Not Virat Kohli"

Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali has criticized Indian batter Shreyas Iyer after he was dismissed for a duck in just seven balls during the first innings of the Duleep Trophy. According to Basit, Shreyas should have scored 100-200 runs in that match.

In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Basit Ali expressed disappointment in Shreyas Iyer’s performance, saying, “As a cricketer, watching Shreyas makes me feel sad.”

He further added, "Shreyas lacks concentration in red-ball cricket. He has scored two centuries in the World Cup and is an IPL-winning captain. So, he should have scored 100-200 runs here as well. He is fortunate that players like Rahane and Pujara are not playing in the Duleep Trophy."

The former Pakistani cricketer questioned Shreyas Iyer's focus in Test cricket, expressing doubt about whether he has the desire and determination required for the longer format of the game.

"Shreyas no longer has the will to play red-ball cricket. He just wants to hit boundaries. He should prioritize Test cricket. If he thinks scoring two centuries in the World Cup makes him like Virat Kohli, then no, he is not."

Basit Ali also said, "I apologize to the Indian fans who like him, but if I were a selector for India, I wouldn't have included him in the Duleep Trophy squad. He is not respecting the game."

Shreyas Iyer has failed to score 50 runs in his last 13 Test innings. Due to this consistent poor performance, he was dropped from the Indian team after the second Test match against England earlier this year.