Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer is the most "improved" batter in the past year and appears to be "ready" for all formats. Shreyas has rediscovered himself after being dropped from BCCI's central contract list for 2023-24. He returned to India's domestic setup, put in the hard yards and returned to international cricket with a new air of swagger. After ending India's triumphant Champions Trophy campaign as the nation's leading run-scorer, Shreyas relished his purple patch of form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
He paved the way for his side's success against the Gujarat Titans on opposition turf with a blistering 97* in the first innings. Throughout his stellar display, Shreyas indicated that his prime nemesis, considered a short-length delivery, has now turned into a boon for him.
The former BCCI president expressed his delight after seeing a new version of the 30-year-old and wrote on X, "Shreyas iyer the most improved batsman in last 1 yr .. ready for all formats. Great to see his improvement after a few issues on length."
It wasn't a wanton whim for Shreyas to get his maiden IPL hundred. He was solely driven by the desire to steer his side to victory. When fatigue started to hit Shreyas, he decided to forgo his personal milestone and asked Shashank Singh to break his shackles and make the most of the final over.
The explosive right-hander hammered five boundaries to lift PBKS to a mammoth 243/5. The target exceeded GT's reach as they surrendered to a narrow 11-run defeat.
His match-winning 97* reflects what the 30-year-old has been executing for the past year. In his last Ranji Trophy campaign, Shreyas garnered 480 runs from five matches for Mumbai, averaging 68.57 while striking at a healthy rate of 90.22.
With 345 runs in his kitty from nine matches, Shreyas was the fourth-highest run-getter in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He exhibited his rich vein of form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, boasting 325 runs in five games at a staggering average of 325.00.
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