IPL 2025: Ravi Shastri takes a dig at statpadders after Shreyas Iyer sacrifices 100 in GT vs PBKS match

Shreyas Iyer scored 97* and let Shashank Singh take strike in last over despite nearing his ton.

In praising Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer for his unselfish performance against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, former India cricketer Ravi Shastri subtly took a dig at cricketers who put personal milestones above team’s purpose.

On Tuesday, March 25, PBKS defeated GT by 11 runs in Ahmedabad. Iyer hit five fours and nine sixes in his unbeaten 97 off 42 balls. After being assigned to bat first, Punjab scored an incredible 244 runs. The target was subsequently successfully guarded by the franchise.

After 117 games, Iyer was on the verge of his first IPL century at the end of the 17th over, scoring 90 off 38 balls. The PBKS captain, however, was undefeated at 97 after facing just four balls in the final three overs. At a strike rate of 275, his teammate Shashank Singh scored 44* runs off 16 balls.

Although Shashank dominated the last overs, Shreyas had earlier hit three sixes in the 17th over. He hit six fours and two sixes, including five in Mohammed Siraj’s final over. The 2014 IPL runners-up scored an incredible 243/5, which was their second-highest total ever.

Ravi Shastri praises Shreyas Iyer, taking a dig at Virat Kohli, citing ‘team game’

Ravi Shastri asked Shashank Singh how he felt about Iyer being left stranded on 97 at the innings break. Iyer advised him to concentrate on finishing strong rather than fretting about his century, Shashank disclosed.

“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 and the way he spoke to me before the over,” Shashank Singh said.

“That’s the right thing to say in a team game,” Shastri said in reply to Shashank.

His comment, though, was interpreted as a covert jab at cricketers who put their own goals ahead of the team’s accomplishments. Although Ravi Shastri didn’t specifically mention anyone, many people assumed that Virat Kohli was the target of his remarks.

Old recording of Virat Kohli denying a second run so that he can score hundred goes viral

Old recordings of Kohli from an IPL 2019 match against Kolkata Knight Riders went viral on social media as soon as Shashank Singh disclosed that Iyer put the team’s success ahead of his own personal milestone.

With two balls left in that game, Kohli, who was batting at 96, told Marcus Stoinis to stay at the non-striker’s end rather than take an easy double, leaving the Australian batter stunned. After that, he hit a boundary off the following delivery to reach his century.

Do you know Virat Kohli asked for one run from Marcus Stoinis against KKR to complete his milestone 😂Today you can guess what stoinis might be thinking about him with that smile.#GTvsPBKS https://t.co/2uxaz2HdRB

— Aniket Kumar (@ImAniket264) March 25, 2025

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