Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer led from the front with an unbeaten knock of 87* last night (June 1) to see his team over the finishing line against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 and seal a place in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) Final.
Following the majestic knock, franchise coach and former Aussie captain Ricky Ponting revealed the reason behind Iyer’s inspired innings. Punter felt that the recent Test snub for the upcoming five-match England Tests played a pivotal role.
Speaking on the ICC Review, Ponting said, “So I was disappointed that he didn’t get picked as I actually felt that he would get picked. But he didn’t. And I think that probably makes him a little bit hungrier for us when these playoff games come around.”
Interestingly, Ponting and Shreyas Iyer shared an old working relationship. Prior to joining forces at PBKS, the captain-coach duo previously came together during their stint at Delhi Capitals and helped the side qualify for the playoffs from 2019 to 2021.
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Despite his outstanding credentials in white-ball cricket, Shreyas failed to break into the squad for the England Tests. One primary reason is his struggle with short deliveries. Given the English conditions which offer bounce and movement, it is understood that the selectors felt that Iyer wasn’t the perfect fit.
Furthermore, he has very limited Test experience in SENA countries, having played just three Tests outside Asia.
India also has a solid depth and influx of batting options to choose from in the likes of Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan, who also have county experience apart from their stellar performances in domestic cricket.
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