Driven to win: Iyer at the peak of his powers
Ahmedabad: Of the eleven batters to have scored over 500 runs in the season, only Nicolas Pooran has batted with a superior strike rate to Shreyas Iyer's 175.80. He may only be sixth on the Orange Cap leaders' board, but does Iyer even care? Should he?
The Punjab Kings captain made his disregard for individual glory known in the opening match of the season when he settled for a 97* and watched Shashank Singh strike some lusty blows in the final over to lift the team total. It would become a headline act only because many would have put individual landmarks ahead of the team.
Putting the team first is a prerequisite in T20 cricket and Iyer's unselfish act would set an early marker on what he thought it would take to have a winning campaign.
Following his glorious takedown of Mumbai Indians bowlers on Sunday night, with an 87*(41b) that would go down as the most defining in Punjab Kings trophy-less IPL history, Iyer has guided them to within touching distance of silverware.
Personally, Iyer is the only captain to make three finals with three different franchises, Delhi Capitals and KKR being the other two.
There's Iyer, the captain and Iyer, the batter. And it's difficult to choose in which of the two roles he has made a bigger impact. Ricky Ponting has entrusted and empowered the captain, but Punjab couldn't have travelled this far without Iyer's able leadership. Not with their inexperienced playing group, after losing Glenn Maxwell and Lockie Ferguson early.
'He remains really calm, doesn't get frustrated quickly, and knows his job. He is a fantastic skipper to have' said James Hopes, PBKS assistant coach.
Hopes highlighted how picking Azmatullah Omarzai to bowl the death overs against MI – he picked two wickets - ahead of Vijaykumar Vyshak , who had had a good day, was the captain's gut call. There have been several other similar instances too, earlier in the tournament.
In a format, heavily reliant on data and coaching influence, to have a skipper making his own calls can go a long way in winning the dressing room. It's a point Iyer's previous head coach at KKR, Chandrakant Pandit, had also alluded to.
KKR's refusal to match his asking price ahead of the auction has driven the stylish batter throughout this year's campaign. During their winning 2024 season, KKR had plenty of match winners and the overbearing presence of mentor Gautam Gambhir. But at PBKS, Iyer's tactical calls and his ability to get the best out of Punjab's young Indian core has shone through.
Regardless of what happens in the final, Iyer has already made a strong case for a T20I recall. Yet, if the 30-year-old isn't a lock in formats other than ODIs for India, he would know that part of the blame lies with him.
Iyer has never put up the numbers he has this year. Never before has he amassed a 600-plus run season. His strike rate has never shot past 150 previously. He literally rose in stature with his knock against MI. At the half-way stage in PBKS' pursuit of 204, Iyer was 17 (13b). At the business end of the run case, Iyer smashed another 70 in 28 balls.
'I was in that zone where if they pitch anywhere, I am going to hit for six,' Iyer told Ponting on the IPL website.
Whether it was his three consecutive sixes against Reece Topley, the angular precision with which guided Trent Boult's yorkers to the third man boundary, or the astonishing ease with which he would repeat the dose against a near perfect Jasprit Bumrah yorker directed at middle stump, Iyer's class in the run chase that would make Virat Kohli proud.
Add his gum-chewing nonchalant celebration after the win. It demonstrated that the mission was far from done.
Iyer may be on such a stupendous high that his ambition wouldn't allow him to celebrate before they crossed the final hurdle. It's best understood from the little captain-coach exchange on camera.
'Our job is only half done,' Iyer told Ponting. 'We have to refresh, rejuvenate, get a massage and come back fresh in the next game.'
'The next game', Iyer said, not 'the final'.
'If you keep batting like that, mate, this team is going to be hard to beat,' Ponting prophesied.
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