 "Did Ravi Shastri take a jibe at Virat Kohli after Shashank Singh's comment on Shreyas Iyer's selfless approach?")
Shreyas Iyer had the opportunity to celebrate his debut as Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain with a maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) century during their season-opener against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. Instead, the Mumbaikar allowed explosive middle-order batter Shashank Singh to farm the strike in the death overs to ensure his team got an additional 10-15 runs on the board.
Shashank smashed an unbeaten 44 off 16 deliveries to help Punjab Kings post a daunting 243/5 on the board after Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill opted to field. Iyer, who had led Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title last year and was later acquired by the Kings for Rs 26.75 crore, remained stranded on 97 off 42 deliveries – a knock that was laced with five fours and nine sixes.
Shashank sheds light on Iyer’s selflessness
Speaking to cricketer-turned-commentator Ravi Shastri during the innings break, Shashank shed light on Iyer’s selfless approach at the centre, revealing how the Punjab captain told him not to worry about his century and to focus on getting the team as close to the 250-mark as possible.
“Let me be very honest, Shreyas from ball one told me, ‘Shashank, don’t think of my hundred. Just play your shots and finish it well’. So, kudos to him, the way he spoke to me before the over,” Shashank, who was one of PBKS’ two retentions ahead of the mega auction, said.
𝐁𝐚𝐬 𝐉𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐧𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐢 👊#PunjabKings #IPL2025 #BasJeetnaHai #GTvPBKS pic.twitter.com/3voKnbPH8V
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Shastri had an interesting reply to that query, appearing to take a dig at former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Virat Kohli, with whom he had shared an excellent working relationship during his four-year tenure as head coach.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“That’s the right thing to say in a team game,” former India all-rounder Shastri said in reply. Though he did not take any names in his comment, it appeared to have been directed towards the batting superstar, who holds the record for most ODI centuries (50) and has a total of 82 international tons to his name.
Kohli’s clip from IPL 2019 goes viral after Shashank’s comment
No sooner had Shashank shed light on Iyer’s selflessness than an old clip of Kohli refusing a call for a second run from Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis went viral. The incident in question took place during RCB’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens.
Stoinis had lofted the ball towards long off, and had plenty of time to come back for a second, only to be turned down by Kohli – who was batting on 96. Kohli ended up completing his century with a boundary before getting dismissed in the final ball of the innings. RCB would go on to win the high-scoring thriller by 10 runs.
Iyer, meanwhile, described his unbeaten 97 as the "icing on the cake" after beginning his tenure as PBKS captain on a winning note, besides heaping praise on Shashank.
“Getting 97 not out in the season’s opening game for us is the icing on the cake. I got a four on the first ball I faced, and it got me going. That flick six off Rabada as well. 44 runs he (Shashank) scored off 16-17 balls was pretty crucial for the team. We set a benchmark that we had to go for it,” the 30-year-old said after PBKS’s 11-run victory.
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