Captain Rohit Sharma's message: Team management clear with Shreyas Iyer that it wants all-round option

Shreyas Iyer might have been the third biggest buy at the IPL auction but to fit into India's T20 combination, he would need to showcase all-round skills as that's what the team is looking for in the middle-order slot, skipper Rohit Sharma has said. Wednesday was a mixed bag for Shreyas. Around evening, Kolkata Knight Riders unveiled the worst kept secret in the IPL universe by announcing their Rs 12.25 crore recruit as franchise captain for 2022. By 6:30 pm, however, it was clear that the former Delhi Capitals and new KKR captain isn't fitting into the specialist batter category in Team India for the T20 game against West Indies.

Read AlsoIndia vs West Indies: We see something different in Ravi Bishnoi, says Rohit Sharma

Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi's "variations and skill-sets" and his ability to bowl at any stage gives the team a lot of options to rotate the bowlers, said India skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday.

"Someone like Shreyas Iyer is sitting out, very hard on him to be out and not making it to the XI, but it's what the team requires. We need that option in the middle, someone who can bowl," Rohit said, after India's easy six-wicket win in the first T20 International on Wednesday. "It's always nice when you have those kinds of competitions going on," he added. Skipper Rohit gave a glimpse of what kind of team combination he is looking at in the shortest format and he made the hard but prudent call in picking a '360 degree' player like Suryakumar Yadav along with the less fancied Iyer Venkatesh, who brings in all-round skills to the table.

Read AlsoIndia vs West Indies: It was important for me to stay till the end, says Suryakumar Yadav

Enjoying a brilliant run of form, India batter Suryakumar Yadav says he is