Shreyas Iyer’s struggles against the short ball came back to haunt him, this time on the fast and bouncy pitch of Perth. In the opening match of the three-match ODI series between India and Australia at the Optus Stadium, Shreyas Iyer fell into a familiar trap laid by Josh Hazlewood, and that was a short ball that exposed his long-standing weakness.
The Indian middle-order batsman, who has been out to short-pitched balls many times in the past, was taken aback by Josh Hazlewood’s clever plan. In the 14th over, the Australian pacer bowled a quicker ball that rose above the back-of-length region.
The delivery curved strangely, leaving Iyer confused. As the India vice-captain tried to stop it, the ball hit the gloves and went straight to wicketkeeper Josh Philippe, who made no mistake in completing a simple catch and sent Iyer back to the pavilion at 11 runs off 24 balls.
Gautam Gambhir’s gesture goes viral as Shreyas Iyer’s short-ball problem comes to light once again
This dismissal increased India’s troubles as their batting order collapsed due to constant Australian pressure. Shortly after Iyer’s fall, the game was interrupted due to rain and the players had to leave the field. During several rain breaks, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen discussing Iyer’s dismissal with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.
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It seems that Gambhir and Kotak were discussing about dismissing Iyer in Perth. The Indian head coach was showing the batting coach with his hands what probably went wrong with the Mumbaikar. Gambhir’s frustration was clear, especially given Iyer’s repeated trouble with short-pitched bowling.
The cameras caught the Indian head coach adopting a dismissive manner before drawing attention and shifting the conversation elsewhere. Now, glimpses of this moment are going viral on social media platforms.
– Nihari Korma (@NihariVsKorma) 19 October 2025
Shreyas Iyer vs Josh Hazlewood
This wicket marked the seventh time that Hazlewood has dismissed Iyer across formats, proving once again that Australia have mastered the perfect plan to exploit one of India’s most talked-about technical flaws. This once again exposed Iyer’s weakness, due to which he did not get a place in India once again.
It is worth noting that Iyer’s record against Josh Hazlewood is not impressive. In 7 ODI matches, he has scored 55 runs on 57 balls against Hazlewood and has been out three times. The right-handed batsman averages 18.33 against Hazlewood. Overall, Hazlewood has dismissed Iyer seven times in 13 innings.
Also read: Harshit Rana mocked as ‘goat all-rounder’ for 1 run vs AUS; Fans criticized Gautam Gambhir
Ravi Shastri highlights the challenges faced by Gautam Gambhir in enforcing discipline
On the other hand, Gautam Gambhir has had a poor start as India’s head coach, especially in Test cricket. India ended 2024 with a shocking 0-3 home defeat to New Zealand, followed by a 1-3 defeat in Australia, which put immense pressure on them.
Following which, the BCCI issued a strict ten-point directive, allowing players to play domestic cricket, limit personal staff on tours and spend time with family. Following Gambhir’s suggestion, these measures are aimed at instilling discipline and focus in the team.
Former coach Ravi Shastri has highlighted the challenges faced by Gambhir. “He (Gambhir) must have seen that it was getting out of hand and he has set a limit as to what can be done and what cannot be done,” Shastri said.