Shreyas Iyer's Good-Length Vulnerability: A 2027 World Cup Concern
The Indian batsman has developed a new weakness against good-length and back-of-a-length deliveries, raising questions ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Shreyas Iyer has successfully overcome his previous struggles against short-pitched bowling by adopting an open stance and aggressive intent. However, a new pattern in his dismissals has emerged, with good-length and back-of-a-length deliveries troubling him consistently. This issue began midway through IPL 2026 and continued into international cricket, as seen in the recent ODI against Afghanistan in Dharamsala.
At the root of this problem is poor trigger movement: Iyer has been shuffling his front foot sideways, causing his back leg to move towards leg stump and losing awareness of his off stump. This alignment flaw has left him vulnerable to deliveries outside off stump, resulting in edges or beaten bats. In IPL 2026, he averaged only 22.50 against good-length balls from pacers, with four dismissals in 90 balls.
Iyer corrected this flaw by the end of the IPL league stage, adjusting his back foot towards middle and off stump, which helped him cover the corridor and eventually score a maiden IPL century. Nevertheless, the recurrence in ODIs suggests the issue remains unresolved, making it a critical area to address before the 2027 World Cup.