Shreyas Iyer and Shashank Singh (BCCI/IPL Photo)

NEW DELHI: Shreyas Iyer may have missed out on a well-deserved century, but his innings was met with admiration and applause from all corners. He remained unbeaten on 97 as he walked back, yet the smile on his face made it clear — his focus was on contributing to his new team, Punjab Kings, who have been chasing their maiden IPL title since the tournament began in 2008.
At the end of the 19th over, Iyer stood at 97*, with Shashank Singh at the other end on 22 off 10 balls.
Putting the team’s needs ahead of personal milestones, Iyer prioritised Punjab Kings’ total over individual glory.

Before the start of the final over, Iyer walked up to Shashank, who was striking the ball cleanly, and told him not to worry about his century but instead focus on maximising runs for the team.
Shashank responded to his captain’s trust by smashing five boundaries off Mohammed Siraj’s over, propelling Punjab Kings to an imposing 243/5 in 20 overs.

After the innings, when asked about denying Iyer a century, Shashank said:
“Yes, it was a good cameo. But looking at Shreyas, that motivated me even more. Let me be very honest — Shreyas, from ball one, said don’t worry about my hundred! Just watching the ball and reacting to it.”
“I try and make sure I get the boundaries. When you bat at that number, it’s likely that you won’t always get a good hit. I know the shots I can back. I focus on my strengths rather than things I can’t do,” he added.