‘I am at my best when I back my instincts, says Punjab Kings,’ says captain Shreyas Iyer

“When I say that you are in the zone, it starts before the match. It starts from the warm-up. And how you basically plan and approach the game. So, once we were on the field, I was completely locked in. About how I am going to rally my players. Once my eyes are set… you just need to get your eyesight locked in and be in the zone. After that, it was just about the flow, backing my instincts, going according to the run rate,” Iyer said.

His sixes in front of the wicket were clean hits but Iyer also cleverly dug out yorkers, when facing Bumrah and Boult, by opening the phase of the bat in quick time.

The Punjab Kings captain’s unbeaten 87 off 41, a knock comprising eight sixes, turned the tide in the Qualifier 2 against five-time champions Mumbai Indians. Iyer also spoke about mental strength and the challenges of leading a team in the IPL. He was the captain when Kolkata Knight Riders won the 2024 IPL title.

“When I back myself, I back my instincts. I think that’s when I get the best out of myself. Also when other players keep performing, that also gives you a little bit of extra boost to keep going,” Iyer said. “I personally feel that I love to play the situation as much as possible and not get too ahead of the game. I see if I’m chasing, I see the required run rate and how the wicket is playing, which all bowlers are going to come (bowl). So, based on that I plan my tactics and also I see to it that I take the game to the end. So all this planning has to be precise and has to work on the given day,” Iyer said.

After taking his team across the line, Iyer’s celebrations were muted. The reason, according to him, was because the final match remained.

“I felt like my job was half done. It’s not even finished. We have a match tomorrow. I approached it with that mindset. I have to play the match again. I was thinking that recovery is important,” Iyer, who said he slept for only four hours, said.

He also reserved praise for Ricky Ponting, the former Australian captain, who is the coach of Punjab Kings.

“I feel that the thing that stands out with him is that he treats everyone equally. So that gives a real big boost to every individual whether he’s a junior or a senior most. When you know that the coach is treating everyone equally. You are positive and you get that freedom from within to go out there and express the best of your abilities. And I’ve never seen his emotions going up and down irrespective of the results. And that’s the sign of a great coach. And the assertive thoughts which he provides with his speeches before and after the game. I think that gives us an immense boost when we step onto the field,” Iyer said.