At the fag end of 2022, India were taking on Bangladesh in a Test series. The second Test of that series turned out to be a nail-biting contest, but it was something else that caught the attention of the writer: Shreyas Iyer sharing his thoughts on his issues against the short ball. He went on to say: “It does play in the mind of a batter when people from outside talk about issues and it’s important as a player to turn a deaf ear to them. The rest will take care of itself. At the end of the day, ignorance is bliss,” said the right-hand batter.
Roughly, around one year later, Iyer seemed a bit miffed after he was once again asked about his short-ball issues in a presser. The context here was a World Cup encounter against England where he had lost his wicket after playing a rather ungainly hoick. At that moment, just a bit of number-crunching would have indicated that Iyer had indeed improved his game versus the short ball.
At the completion of that match, Iyer had faced 107 deliveries from the pacers. 51 of those offerings were short or short of a good length. He had accumulated 60 runs off those 51 deliveries, with seven boundaries and a six, and lost his wicket twice.
Iyer’s batting has continued to march on an upward curve. And we could gather further evidence of it in the 2025 IPL game played between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Gujarat Titans (GT). In the 17th over of PBKS’ innings, Iyer tried to pull Prasidh Krishna, but he could only eke out a bottom edge onto his ribcage. He then proceeded to pull and hook the same bowler for a couple of sixes.
The interesting part to note here was he had more of a front-on stance. The plan was clear: To go back and then across before landing the pull. Iyer is also adept at playing shots square and behind square of the wicket on the off-side. In the PBKS-GT game, too, he showcased his traits by cracking enough shots through that area.
Incidentally, Iyer’s growth hasn’t just been limited to improving his credentials against the short ball. In the recent past, he has also shown leadership skills. Last year, Iyer led KKR to a memorable triumph in the IPL. The very next year, as the captain of PBKS, he has started on the right note with his team usurping GT.
One of the keynotes about Iyer is his calming influence on the team. Rarely do you see Iyer getting flustered or screaming at the players, something that could be observed during the slog overs of the PBKS-GT game. When Vijaykumar Vyshak, the impact sub, was introduced into the attack, he was tasked with executing the plan of bowling full and outside off to Sherfane Rutherford. Even when Vyshak missed the tramlines and wides were adjudged, there was a sense of calmness in Iyer’s eyes. At that juncture, if he had lost his cool, it could have affected Vyshak’s confidence.
At the age of 30, Iyer has possibly scaled the peak of his prowess. Whether it would translate into a comeback into the Test side is a subject for another discussion. But if and when the Indian selectors are in search of a captain for limited-overs cricket, he could be the right candidate.
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