When it comes to a discussion about Shreyas Iyer's batting, it is difficult to not bring up the topic of bouncers. After all, the Mumbai batter's battles with the short ball has been a well-documented tale in Indian cricket. So much so that the chatter clearly triggered tbe man himself.
However, over the last 12 months, Iyer's white-ball batting has seen a massive surge. He could always play the ODI role with elan, as he showed in the 2023 0DI World Cup and during India's victorious Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. In fact, he was the top-scorer for Rohit Sharma's men in the tournament and second-highest run scorer overall.
Iyer tallied 243 runs across five games at an average of 48.50 with two fifties and he played a crucial role in the knockout fixtures of the tournament. A key improvement in his game was about how he tackled the short ball, opting for the aggressive route and yet, showing composure.
Get ready for the action as Shreyas Iyer makes his entry at CCR2025.
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"There had been talk about me not being able to play a particular shot. I had to challenge myself," said Iyer while speaking at the CEAT Cricket Awards in Mumbai on Tuesday (October 7).
"The more you play that shot in the nets, the more confidence you get."
The confidence clearly showed in Iyer's game as he repeatedly managed to find fours and sixes against the short ball. His attacking game against the hard length deliveries and bouncers saw a huge spike in IPL 2025 where he amassed more than 600 runs at a stunning strike rate of over 175.
Iyer credits his transformation to the hard yards put in domestic cricket where he was on a trophy-hunting spree as captain across all formats. Meanwhile, he also worked on his batting, polishing the rough edges that needed betterment.
"Needed to discipline myself in terms of domestic cricket. Went back to Ranji, Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali. Really helped a lot."
Iyer has been appointed the vice-captain of India's ODI squad that will be led by Shubman Gill who has replaced Rohit Sharma as full-time captain in the 50-over format.
