Indian vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, who has shattered the record books with his consistent performances in ODIs, was also not spared by the fans after his slow innings against New Zealand in Rajkot ended soon after. Some people have also made fun of this excellent batsman’s defensive work rate.
India lost after winning the toss in Vadodara and the Kiwi captain asked to bat first. The Indians had to struggle a lot to bat on this surface, as New Zealand’s bowlers, especially their spinners, had been very accurate and tough.
Although India started well with a good half-century partnership between former Indian captain Rohit Sharma and current captain Shubman Gill, after Rohit’s dismissal, India’s wickets kept falling at regular intervals and partnerships did not seem to be building.
Shreyas Iyer trolled for a slow innings; Indian fans expose their cruel side
India did not get off to a fast start, with even Rohit Sharma failing to provide momentum to the innings. The pitch has a bit of unconventional bounce, while the New Zealand bowlers have also kept it tight against the Indians.
After both the openers were out, Virat Kohli was also out and Shreyas Iyer was also out. Iyer was supposed to take control of the Indian innings with the experienced batsman, but he suffocated due to the increasing pressure of dot balls.
Shreyas played a handful of dot balls and then tried to clear the infield as he lofted a ball over the mid-off fielder; However, the connection was not as desired, and the ball got stuck right down the Kiwi captain’s throat.
Virat Kohli’s dream journey stopped in Rajkot
Indian batting legend Virat Kohli has been in the rough of his life since returning to India with the ODI leg of the South Africa series. In Rajkot, Virat scored 469 runs in his last 5 matches for India and created a tremendous record with an average of 150+.
Kohli made his 50+ scoring debut since the last game of the Australian series at the Sydney Cricket Ground. After this he scored two consecutive centuries and then won the series with a half-century. He also started the New Zealand series with an excellent inning of 93 runs, which laid the foundation for a good start.
However, Kohli’s streak was broken as soon as he came to Rajkot and this time he was out for just 23 runs. Kohli, who also faced some pressure with the dot balls, wanted to work one step behind the short third man fielder; However, the ball hit the bottom edge of his bat and was cut to be out.
“Show me a more hyped batsman than Shreyas Iyer” – Indian fans furious over Iyer’s innings of 8 runs in 17 balls
Show me a more hyped batsman than Shreyas Iyer.
He never performs when India needs him.
Ruturaj Gaikwad>>>Shreyas Iyer pic.twitter.com/tyNvDHypns
– Abhishek Kumar (@abhishek060722) 14 January 2026
Ruturaj Gaikwad should replace Shreyas Iyer pic.twitter.com/OOjaCGVWWm
– Harsh Agarwal (@Harshagarwal48) 14 January 2026
Shreyas Iyer was out on a simple ball.
Why are they throwing away all the wickets, this will put pressure on Virat.
We are back to the old golden days.
– Kiwi (@infxfruits) 14 January 2026
Academy-level defense with club-level scoring. 8 out of 17? He is apparently auditioning for the Test team in the middle of an ODI match.
– SKH (@Skh9864) 14 January 2026
He has to be made captain
let’s laugh friends– 𝔸🅖︎𝕄 (@AGM9089) 14 January 2026
Idli Iyer should be limited to IPL and domestic IMO
– S (@CaptainDeMio) 14 January 2026
Show me a more hyped batsman than Shreyas Iyer.
He never performs when India needs him.
Ruturaj Gaikwad>>>Shreyas Iyer pic.twitter.com/tyNvDHypns
– Abhishek Kumar (@abhishek060722) 14 January 2026
Ruturaj Gaikwad is a better pace player than Shreyas Iyer
Both are similar against spin but Rutu is better against pace
– Sunil Das (@sunilmsdian112) 14 January 2026
Also read: Rohit Sharma declared unfit for 2027 World Cup after horror show in New Zealand series