Iyer keen to make every opportunity count amid stiff competition

Iyer was all set to bat at two-down in the rain-marred first ODI, but his opportunity never came, with the match being washed out after just 13 overs into the West Indies innings. With competition lurking in the form of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, Iyer is keen to make every opportunity count, but wants to be a flexible batsman who is capable of floating around the order.

"Personally, I am not thinking about batting only at No.4," Iyer said on the eve of the second ODI, at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. "I want to be someone who is very flexible batting at any number, or, if you go into any situation, you should be able to grab that opportunity and make the best use of it."

Even so, with a finite number of tryout chances, Iyer is eager to go out to the middle and start knocking the ball. He has the advantage of having been around long enough in the Caribbean, as part of the A team, with whom he enjoyed a consistent run in the List A games, coming out of the series with 187 runs in four outings, at an average of 62.33.

"It's going to be another two opportunities for me to make the best use of," Iyer said. "Hopefully, this also doesn't rain off. We are hardly getting any net practice. I am eager to go out there and carry forward the momentum which I got from my India A matches. Looking forward to a good series finish."