Shreyas enjoying the competition

With 16 months left for the World Cup, India have a couple of middle-order slots still up for grabs and Shreyas Iyer sees this as an "opportunity", as he tries to make a case for himself in the coming days.

Shreyas  is seen as one of the contenders for either No four  or five  position in the ODI line-up and will be competing with the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik.

The 23-year-old Mumbaikar though, is not at all tensed.

"Competition for a batting slot has never worried me. I would say it always brings the best out of me. For me, battling for a slot is not a threat but an opportunity," Shreyas  told PTI after returning  from the South Africa tour.

"Also, I should only be looking at improving my game and not think about who my competitors are," said Shreyas, who scored 18 and 30 in the fourth  and fifth  ODIs respectively.

"The two games that I batted, I found the pitches to be much quicker than what I played on during the 'A' tour last year. The pitches in Pretoria during the 'A' tour was not as quick as these ones.

On the challenges of playing in top flight, Shreyas, who has 210 runs from six  ODIs including two half-centuries, added:  "Anyone who says that he doesn't feel the pressure of international cricket would be lying."

While the process of preparation,  whether playing a Ranji Trophy game for Mumbai  or an international match,  has remained same, Shreyas, like all others, can only marvel at skipper Virat Kohli going through the paces.

"He (Kohli) has set a different benchmark for all of us with his meticulousness. It's a lesson that we all must learn about workload management on and off the field. He is precise in his preparation, not a single thing is ever taken lightly," he said.

"I have got an opportunity to bat alongside him in a match situation only once and his advice is simple. If you want to play a certain shot, have the confidence to back yourself but don't take unnecessary risk when it's not required.

"And the most important piece of batting advice from him is that when you are aiming to hit lofted shots, try and hit as straight as possible."

He is new to international cricket and this ODI series has given him some insights on areas which he needs to improve.

"I think I need to improve my technique while playing the hook and pull shots on bouncy wickets. I will be working on my back and across movements (footwork for horizontal bat shots) with my coach Praveen Amre this season," Shreyas  said.