In his 10th IPL season, Shreyas Iyer has yet to score a century. During his first match of IPL 2025, which also marked his debut as captain of Punjab Kings after being bought for ₹26.75 crore in the mega auction, he was on 90 off 38 balls at the end of the 17th over against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After 117 IPL matches, his long wait for a maiden century seemed poised to end. But it didn’t.

In the final three overs, despite striking at 230, Shreyas faced just four balls and remained unbeaten on 97. However, this didn’t impact him or PBKS, as batter Shashank Singh, who played most of those three overs, scored at an astounding strike rate of 275. Shreyas, familiar with Shashank’s ability, had clearly instructed him to focus on hitting boundaries and not worry about his century.

After hitting three sixes in the 17th over, Shreyas told Shashank, “Don’t think of my hundred. Just play your shots and finish it well.” Shashank took the captain’s advice to heart and finished with a blistering 44* off 16 balls, including six fours—five of which came off the final over bowled by Mohammed Siraj—and two sixes.

During the innings break, former India head coach Ravi Shastri asked Shashank how he felt knowing Shreyas was stranded on 97. Shashank responded, “Let me be 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 for how he spoke to me before the over.”

SShreyas ‘ selflessness added valuable runs to the PBKS total, helping them reach 243/5, which proved 11 runs too much for Gujarat Titans.

Hearing Shashank’s response, Shastri took a subtle dig at players prioritizing personal milestones over the team’s needs. Praising Shreyas for his team-oriented attitude, Shastri remarked, “That’s the right thing to say in a team game.”

Though Shastri did not name anyone, many speculated that his comment might have been aimed at Virat Kohli, who was known for his occasional prioritization of individual milestones. A viral video from an IPL match between RCB and KKR in 2019 resurfaced, showing Kohli refusing to take a couple of runs with two balls remaining in the game to complete his century. Kohli eventually reached the milestone with a boundary.

Kohli was criticized for focusing on personal milestones during the 2023 ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh.

As for Shreyas, he expressed immense satisfaction with his contribution to PBKS’ strong start in IPL 2025. “Getting 97 not out in the season’s opening game for us is the icing on the cake,” Shreyas said. “That flick six off Rabada and the four on the first ball I faced rot me going. Shashank’s 44 runs off 16-17 balls were crucial. We set a benchmark and made sure to go for it.”