‘Most improved batter, out of this world’: Shreyas Iyer is talk of the town | Cricket News

Shashank Singh, left, and Shreyas Iyer (Photo Credit: BCCI)

To say that Shreyas Iyer has rediscovered himself will be an understatement, considering his recent stints with the bat, especially in white-ball cricket. Besides the runs he continues to score, it’s the ease of batting that has stood out in his knocks of late.
Beginning his run as the captain of Punjab Kings against Gujarat Titans in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season on Wednesday in Ahmedabad, Iyer hit a match-winning 97 not out in just 42 balls, which included 9 sixes and 5 fours.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

The flat deck of the Narendra Modi Stadium needed a big total from Punjab who batted first, and Iyer led the charge, with Shashank Singh taking over towards the end with his unbeaten cameo of 44 off just 16 balls. It took Punjab to a mammoth 243/5, but the total still faced a valiant challenge from the Titans who reached 232/5 before losing by only 11 runs.
Iyer has undoubtedly come into his own since being dropped from BCCI’s central contract list for 2023-24. He has come back from that setback with an unflinching resolve and a touch of swag.
He was not only part of India’s Champions Trophy campaign but also led the run-scoring chart for the team and has started in the IPL from where he left in the Champions Trophy.
It has earned Iyer all-round praise, including from the former BCCI boss and India captain Sourav Ganguly, who came out on social media platform X to express his joy for the 30-year-old batter’s success.

“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,” said Ganguly, who suggested that days of Iyer being troubled by the short ball are behind him now.
His return to the Ranji Trophy saw him scoring 480 runs for Mumbai in five matches at an impressive average of 68.57. Switching to white-ball, he scored 345 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and 325 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Also praising Iyer for his match-winning knock on Wednesday was veteran New Zealand batter Kane Williamson.
“What stands out about Shreyas is how he continues to evolve his game,” said Williamson on JioStar. “For a period, teams targeted him with short balls, but now, he’s adjusting brilliantly — getting deeper in his crease, de-weighting his front leg and dominating the short-pitched deliveries.
“What is most impressive is his ability to shift his weight forward again, making it difficult for bowlers who try the ‘one-two’ approach – going short, then full. He’s now able to access all areas of the ground, which makes him such a formidable batter.”

The former New Zealand batter ranked Iyer’s knock against Gujarat Titans as one of “highest standard” and “out of this world”.
“It was a knock of the highest standard. From the very first ball, it was almost a highlight reel; he played the ball exactly where it was meant to be hit,” said Williamson.
“Anything outside off stump, he looked to access the offside, and he even struck sixes over cover against some of the best seamers in the world. Then, to take on Rashid Khan as well – that’s one of the toughest challenges in the game. As a leader, to step in at number three, set the tone and take on the opposition’s biggest threats was remarkable. That innings was truly out of this world,” he added.