2 min readUpdated: Oct 7, 2026 02:32 PM IST
One standout aspect of Shreyas Iyer’s century on Tuesday was his ability to accelerate after reaching his half-century, which he reached in 26 deliveries, and scoring the next 50 runs in just 16 deliveries. His power-hitting and technique seemed quite flawless against the spinners. His Punjab Kings teammate, Yuzvendra Chahal, decoded what has changed in Iyer’s approach to his innings.
“Definitely, attacking the mind. When Shreyas came at the start, he used to go back and play the cut. Now he comes across, and if the midwicket fielder is up, he has that option as well. If you bowl outside the off-stump, his reach is so good that he plays over cover and mid-off. So, the bowler gets slightly stuck there as to what he should do when he is not getting any help from the wicket,” the Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowler said on Star Sports.
Recalling his own bowling experience against Iyer, Chahal said: “When I bowled to him in the nets, I had to bowl wider, or else he used to easily hit me over cover for a six. One or one-and-a-half years ago, he used to hit hard, but nowadays he times the ball, and that’s the specialty because of which his batting has improved so much,” he added.
“Batters go back and across toward the off-stump, but he was going outside the off-stump because he knew Shepherd would try to bowl only outside the off-stump. That’s why he played the lofted extra cover drive and lofted off-drive. He read the bowler’s mind, and that’s why he was able to get into those positions. Brilliant batting, sensational batting,” former batting legend Sunil Gavaskar elaborated on the same show.
Iyer’s century helped India beat West Indies by eight wickets, chasing a target of 172 runs in 14.4 overs. “If it’s your day, make sure that you win the match for the team. And today it was me. Previous couple of games, it was the batsmen who finished off the game. So yeah, overall I feel it was a comprehensive performance, and I think if we continue with the same mindset, we will be one of the destructive teams in T20s,” Iyer said.
