Shreyas Iyer swagger and smile, which were clearly visible in that viral video, served him well when he was fielding at long-on in the cauldron of Chepauk around six weeks later. It would have been simple for him to lose his temper that evening. Shreyas Iyer later said that the humidity was “a lot more than any other pitch” on which he had played. Additionally, the Chennai Super Kings had just finished their most successful middle-overs performance of the season, scoring 86 runs at a cost of just one wicket.
A video of Musheer Khan became viral early in the season. He was imitating Shreyas Iyer, the skipper of the Punjab Kings. There was a constant smirk, a broad stride, an energetic right hand, a left-tilted head, and wide eyes. The walk exuded arrogance. The entire performance was a tribute and a roast in equal measure, displaying a good dose of confidence from both Musheer and the character he was portraying.
Shreyas Iyer looked to Suyash Shedge to bowl the 16th in an attempt to build on the breakthrough in the previous over, which was made by Dewald Brevis, no less. The medium pacer, who was bowling in the IPL for the first time, had already claimed 14 runs in two clean overs. A victory would have come from another close spell. A wicket? Better still.
Instead, it was the most costly over of the season for the Punjab Kings. With two sixes and two fours in six deliveries, Sam Curran ripped at Shedge, scoring 26 runs—the most CSK had scored in a single over this season.
Shreyas Iyer, who was positioned directly in front of the press box at long-on for the duration of the over, did not bat an eye. No hurried mid-over discussions, no hyperactive instructions. He remained stationary while Shedge made unsuccessful attempts to halt the run-flow from several angles. He wasn’t absent from his young bowler’s support, mind you. Giving that over to the 22-year-old instead of more seasoned bowlers like Harpreet Brar and Yuzvendra Chahal actually conveyed more than words could.
Iyer only ran to Shedge once, after the young player bowled a no-ball, gave out a boundary off a full toss, and almost gave up a six off the free knock before Shreyas Iyer flying stop saved him. Shreyas Iyer didn’t linger even then. Only a few faint sentences that didn’t seem long enough to be directions. That’s only encouragement, never advise.
Many captains could have intervened after each delivery, given the bowler too many instructions, or worse, comforted them too much. Not Iyer. Instead of making the occasion into a spectacle, he allowed it to pass. Shedge was bowling to Curran, an experienced IPL player who had finally found a surface that appealed to him and was out there to make a statement. It didn’t need to be more difficult.
Advance to the 19th over. Chahal, who had been costly in his first two overs, was asked to bowl. PBKS was still in danger of giving up 200, and the humidity level was still high. The over-rate penalty, which limited the number of fielders outside the ring to four for a spinner bowling the penultimate over, made it more difficult. Iyer, however, remained composed throughout long-on, entering the ring just once. must wait for Chahal’s hat-trick ball at slip.
Shreyas Iyer was one of the first to rush in and embrace the legspinner after he pulled it off.
More significantly, he hadn’t made his player’s difficult times any more difficult, even if he was present for the big ones. Additionally, that balance is leadership.
With a youthful squad, these moments are not overlooked. Prabhsimran Singh recently told JioHotStar that Shreyas Iyer “takes decisions with zero doubt in his mind” and “accepts them, no matter the outcome,” while Musheer has stated publicly that he has “never seen Shreyas Iyer speak negatively.”
When Shreyas Iyer backed Shedge for a high-pressure over, he was doing just that. When he left his star spinner an over short, he did just that. That’s exactly what he did in the last over of the PowerPlay, when he released Harpreet Brar’s left-arm orthodox at two left-handers at the crease. Ravindra Jadeja’s wicket was not the only prize. CSK suffered a costly loss, their sixth at home this season, and became the first side eliminated from PlayOff contention after PBKS’ victory.
“He’s a lot more confident in himself now than he was before, and that comes with experience,” head coach Ricky Ponting said of Shreyas Iyer, who he worked with at the Delhi Capitals in a similar capacity to a coach. “He now follows through on his decisions and has faith in them. And for a captain, that’s fantastic.
He won the IPL as captain last year, after all. You believe and trust your intuition when you’ve done that and moved past the experience. That, in my opinion, is the most significant aspect of captaincy, particularly during a Twenty20 match when everything is moving quickly and there are fours and sixes flying all over the place. I believe his maturity and experience are evident in his ability to remain composed on the pitch.
“You talk to the players, they all love working with him,” Ponting continued, adding that he has been less involved with Shreyas Iyer at PBKS than at DC, when Shreyas Iyer was a lot younger captain. Just the way he talks back at the hotel, during practice, and during the game.”
The bat demonstrated that same lucidity. Shreyas Iyer innings was notable for its weight, even though his 72 off 41 balls was full of strokeplay. After all, this was a team that Kolkata’s weather had rejected. Here, they decided to chase, and CSK scored 190, their highest home total of the year. It was never going to be a simple chase, particularly on a slow-moving black-soil field like the one where KKR’s spinners had just caught CSK in knots. Shreyas Iyer, however, handled all of that with skill.
He was unfazed by any of the following: Pathirana’s near-yorkers at high tempo, Curran’s slower and back-of-length variations, or Jadeja’s full and quick deliveries at the pads. There was no substantial dew to cause the ball to skid on, and there were no short boundaries to aim for. Power to clear the boundaries and strategy over flair were both necessary for this type of innings, and Shreyas Iyer had both.
Therefore, it must have hurt to get out and try to play across the queue to Pathirana. As his team failed to close the run-chase, he stood in the dugout with one hand on the seats and the other by his side, and it’s little wonder he looked the most animated. He spoke a lot in that little video.
“Excellent innings. “A knock from a captain,” Ponting added. “Shreyas began this competition in a way that I had never seen him in before. His initial games were excellent. One of the reasons I was so eager to have him here as captain was because of that knock tonight. I am aware of his skill as a player. I am aware of his leadership skills. I am also aware of his intense desire for achievement.
“You can see that he is incredibly driven for success if you just look him in the eye right now. He simply has that expression in his eyes that says, “I know I am the team’s leader, and I want to make this team and this franchise successful.” He doesn’t appear to be letting anything stand in his way. Therefore, having that mindset is excellent for a leader since it influences everyone around him.
“I had collaborated with him at Delhi for several years. I have a close relationship with him. We talk about the game a lot off the pitch, you know. We discuss his batting a lot. We discuss the game’s strategy a lot. He’s a more mature player, though, and I believe he’s really upped his game. His ability to play the way they did tonight, in my opinion, demonstrated that he now knows the game and game conditions maybe better than ever before.
“The fact that he missed the game-winning runs would make him feel bad about himself. I know how much he takes pride in being the guy that sticks around to win games, but he didn’t get his team across the finish line.”
Even though Shreyas Iyer wasn’t at the crease in the last moments of the chase, his fingerprints were all over the victory. As a captain as well as a hitter, of course. He didn’t micromanage overs or give orders. He made choices, waited for events to happen, and concentrated on the next step. And even without saying much, he seemed to instill confidence in his teammates.
The next time, Shedge will undoubtedly be prepared. Chahal will be aware of his captain’s position. What about Musheer? He will continue to mimic. He is now more aware of the true source of the swagger.
India
