Shashank Singh didn't know Shreyas Iyer was on 97, PBKS captain said: ‘Don’t worry about my century, hit every ball'
Shreyas Iyer, on 97 off 42 balls, didn't get the strike in the last over, but Shashank Singh hit Siraj for five fours in the last over to collect 23 runs.
Between the 17th and 20th over of the Punjab Kings innings in their IPL 2025 opener against Gujarat Titans, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer faced only four balls, scoring seven runs. He was stranded on an unbeaten 97, missing a well-deserved century by a whisker but the thought of getting t three figures didn't cross his mind even once during the death overs. Shashank Singh, the man who took the bulk of the strike in the last three overs, giving PBKS a grand finish with a flurry of boundaries and sixes, said the message from Shreyas was crystal clear: "Don't think about my 100; just hit as many boundaries as you can."
Shashank did exactly that. Coming in to bat at No.7 in the 16th over of PBKS innings, the right-hander, who made a name for himself as a finisher in the last IPL, blasted an unbeaten 44 off just 16 balls, hitting six fours and a couple of sixes to push Punjab's total to 243 for 5.
"Let me be very honest - from ball one, Shreyas said, 'don't worry about my hundred! Just watching the ball and reacting to it," Shashank told Star Sports in the innings break.
Shreyas didn't get the strike in the last over, but Shashank hit Mohammed Siraj for five fours in the last over to collect 23 runs. That, in the end, proved to be one of the deciding factors as PBKS won the high-scoring encounter by 11 runs. If Shashank had thought of giving strike to Shreyas, allowing him to complete his century, instead of going all guns blazing, who knows what Punjab's total would have been?
‘I didn’t look at the scoreboard': Shashank Singh on Shreyas Iyer missing century
In the post-match presentation, Shashank revealed that he had considered giving the strike to Shreyas in the last over, but before he could say anything, the captain himself walked up to him and urged him to hit as many boundaries as possible.
"I didn't look at the scoreboard. After the first ball I hit, glanced at it and saw that Shreyas was on 97. I didn't say anything. He only came and said, 'Shashank, don't worry about my 100'. Obviously, I was going to ask, 'Should I give you a single or something but it takes a lot of heart and courage. 100s don't come easy in IPL," Shashank told reporters in Ahmedabad.
The Chhattisgarh all-rounder said Shreyas' selfless act motivated him even more. "The way that Shreyas told me, 'Shashank, go and hit every ball for a boundary or six'. That gave me even more confidence. It's a team game, but it's difficult to be selfless at that time, Shreyas was one. I have known him for the past 10-15 years, and he is still the same. By God's grace, we had a good finish," he added.
Shashank also praised his good mate Shreyas, who played age-group cricket with him in Mumbai, for his captaincy while defending 243 on a placid batting track with dew on the outfield.
Shreyas introduced Vijaykumar Vyshak as an Impact Sub after the 13th over of the GT chase, and the right-arm pacer applied the brakes on well-set batters Jos Buttler and Sherfane Rutherford with his well-executed wide yorkers.
"Shreyas is one of the best captains. He works on his instincts. Even I feel that was the right time to get Vijaykumar Vyshak (as an Impact Sub)," he said.
