Gambhir's 'Tactical Hint' Settles Iyer vs Jaiswal Debate For 2nd ODI

After an impactful half-century in the first ODI against England, Shreyas Iyer could see himself being benched for the 2nd ODI on Sunday. Iyer himself had revealed that his place in the playing Xi was only confirmed after Virat Kohli missed out on the series opener due to a knee injury. With Kohli now fit for the second match, it seems like Iyer would be the man to be sacrificed by head coach Gautam Gambhir. India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak was also asked about Iyer's selection issue in the pre-match press conference but he decided to duck the question, putting the onus on head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma.

Despite his blitzkrieg in Nagpur, Iyer could be asked to warm the bench in Cuttack, with Gambhir and Rohit reportedly looking to bank on Yashasvi Jaiswal's explosiveness as an opener. According to a PTI report, all signs pointed toward Shreyas Iyer potentially missing out despite his match-winning 36-ball 59 in India's four-wicket victory in the previous match.

Iyer was notably absent from the optional practice session, along with several key first-choice players, including Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, and Harshit Rana.

With the Gautam Gambhir-led think tank favoring a left-right opening combination, debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal is likely to retain his place at the top alongside skipper Rohit Sharma, pushing Kohli to No. 4.

Reflecting on his unexpected call-up in the first ODI, Iyer had earlier said: "I was watching a movie last night, thinking I could stay up late, but then I got a call from the skipper saying I might have to play because Virat had a swollen knee. I rushed back to my room and went straight to sleep." While Kohli looked in sublime touch, Rohit Sharma had a rough outing at the nets, getting cleaned up twice by local OCA net bowlers -- hardly an encouraging sight for the Indian skipper.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant, who is not India's first-choice wicketkeeper in ODIs, was also seen batting for an extended period, much to the crowd's delight.

The team management's preference does paint a strange picture where Iyer, one of Team India's finest performers in ODI cricket over the last couple of years, isn't even a guaranteed starter for the team in the format. 

If Iyer does fail to make the cut, it would be interesting to see which position Virat Kohli is asked to bat at. With Gill excelling at the No. 3 role in the last match, Kohli could be given the No. 4 spot.

With PTI Inputs