The former India cricketer Ravi Shastri has praised Shreyas Iyer for his selfless approach as he missed a century in the IPL 2025 clash between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Punjab Kings (PBKS).
However, his comments have sparked speculation that he may have taken a subtle dig at veteran Virat Kohli.
PBKS secured an 11-run victory over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on March 25. Shreyas Iyer scored an unbeaten 97 runs off 42 deliveries, which included five fours and nine sixes.
Punjab posted a total of 244 runs after being put to bat first and successfully defended the target. Shreyas was on 90 runs off 38 balls at the end of the 17th over, on the verge of maiden IPL century after 117 matches.
However, the PBKS captain faced only four balls in the last three overs and remained unbeaten on 97. His teammate Shashank Singh smashed 44* runs off 16 deliveries at a strike rate of 275.
During the innings break, Shastri asked Shashank Singh how he felt knowing Shreyas was stranded on 97. Shashank revealed that had told him to focus on finishing the match rather than worrying about his century.
“Let me be very 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, the way he spoke to me before the over,” Shastri said.
“That’s the right thing to say in a team game,” said Ravi Shastri. However, his remark was seen as a subtle dig at players who priortize personal mlestones over the team’s success.
While Ravi Shastri did not mention anyone, many speculated his comments were at Virat Kohli.
As soon as Shashank Singh revealed that Shreyas priortized the team’s success over his personal milestone, old videos of Kohli from an IPL 2019 match against KKR went viral on social media.
In the game, Virat Kohli who was batting on 96 with two balls remaining, signaled Marcus Stoinis to stay at the non-striker’s end instead of taking an easy double. He then reached his century with a boundary off the next delivery.
He faced similar criticism during the 2023 ODI World Cup when Kohli was accused of priotizing his century over the team’s needs against Bangladesh.
