He scored a promising 61 off 77 deliveries in the second ODI against Australia.
India’s ODI No.4 batter Shreyas Iyer is amongst headlines since the past couple of months. After his selection snub from the Asia Cup 2025 squad, the batter was all over social media. However, over the next few days, Shreyas Iyer informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of his decision to take a break from red-ball cricket until further notice.
The decision came on the back of his recent run of injuries, which made him realise on his standing in terms of fitness. The 30-year-old opened up about multiple occurrences from his recent career, including the reason behind his break from the longer formats, as well as his change in stance in the ongoing series against Australia.
The batter from Mumbai led the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to an Indian Premier League (IPL) Final, which they lost against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). However, Shreyas is back in a leadership role in the 50-over format, and is acting as the deputy to Shubman Gill for the three-match ODI series.
The PBKS skipper mentioned after the second ODI against Australia that getting back to his original stance, which was more upright has helped him gain confidence as a batter. He orated that he finds himself in much better positions now as compared to the earlier stance, where he was facing problems especially with the short ball.
There were huge discussions over Shreyas’ stance and technique after he failed to impress in the first ODI against Australia. However, he clarified that the changes were not executed overnight, and that there was a significant thought process attached to them. Shreyas grew up playing with the same stance, so he thought of going back to what helped him in his early days.
To add to that, the 30-year-old voiced the importance of adapting to the conditions and surface in order to suit one’s game better. For a batter, it becomes extremely crucial to judge the nature of the wicket and bat accordingly. The first ODI in Perth had much more probing conditions than the second ODI in Adelaide.
“Even in Mumbai, when we play on red-soil wickets with extra bounce, an upright stance helps. You have to keep chopping and changing because every surface is different. I’ve changed my stance several times now, and I feel I can adapt anywhere at the moment,” Shreyas said.
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Workload management has become a huge part of a player’s life. The emergence of franchise leagues over the world, coupled with the rising demands of international cricket give the players very less time to manage their workloads.
However, Shreyas has found himself on the receiving end of some injuries in the past and that has made him understand the demands of his body better. The PBKS skipper recently pulled out of red-ball cricket for a while, and opened up on the thought process behind that decision.
Shreyas voiced that a few of his observations while playing a long-format game were pointing towards the direction that his body needed rest after bouncing back from injuries. Hence, he confirmed that the decision was taken with respect to recovery in mind.
“When I field for long hours in red-ball cricket, I’ve realised my intensity tends to drop. At the international level, that can make a difference. In ODIs, you have rest days and time to recover, so it’s easier to manage. Based on that, I’ve planned my approach,” Shreyas concluded.
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