Behind Shreyas Iyer 2.0: Sessions with coach Pravin Amre and a WhatsApp group named 'Team Shreyas'

There has been a marked improvement in Iyer's strike rate and average (Image via AP /Ajit Solanki)

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In the Qualifier 2 vs Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer was unstoppable. The right-hander smashed 87 off just 41 balls and cleared the ropes on eight occasions during an exhibition of fabulous strokeplay.Opposition skipper Hardik Pandya used every card up his sleeve to unsettle Shreyas but nothing worked. Even Jasprit Bumrah and his accurate yorkers couldn't trouble the 30-year-old who was in the zone!Twenty three runs were needed off the last 12 balls and Shreyas switched the mode on when he smashed four sixes off Ashwani Kumar's 19th over to wrap up a tremendous win, and become the first captain to lead different IPL teams to finals in consecutive editions. While the discussion has revolved around the Mumbai cricketer's calibre as a captain, the ongoing season has further showcased his prowess as a game-changer with the bat.Over 600 runs this year is his best run in the IPL but what is even more significant is the 39 sixes. The PBKS captain smashed just 14 sixes in the previous edition and has almost tripled the tally. "We worked on Shreyas' bat swing with a focus on helping him connect well.He has slammed 39 sixes so far this IPL while his overall tally of sixes in the previous three editions comes down to 30," said Shreyas' childhood coach Pravin Amre."Shreyas' current strike-rate in IPL 2025 is 175.80 which he specifically focused on enhancing. He has also worked harder towards finishing games following the Champions Trophy 2025 where he played critical knocks but couldn't finish certain games. I told Shreyas, 'In India, we go with Raymond suits, which are stitched despite the availability of ready-made Gucci and Armani suits. Similarly, he should choose a technique which is tailor-made for his approach rather than trying to emulate someone else'," added Amre.Shreyas' batting average this season currently stands at 54.82, which is quite impressive considering his average of 39.00 in the previous edition. The PBKS captain's average as a batter in IPL had never crossed 40 before the ongoing edition. Shreyas has further smashed six half-centuries this season as compared to the two fifties in the previous edition, setting his personal best records in the tournament.While the PBKS captain's performances have been truly impressive, the journey behind his dazzling transformation has been one of tremendous commitment, tracing back to 2024 when he was excluded from BCCI's central contracts."As we know, Shreyas had suffered a back injury in 2023, as a result he had to miss the IPL and had further underwent surgery. It’s always a massive task for an individual to overcome it, both physically as well as mentally. Shreyas was looking forward to make a comeback. However, unfortunately he lost out on the central contract. It came as a big set back. It’s tough. But Shreyas looked at it as a window of opportunity to make use of the time. He regrouped a set of individuals to form his core team, and I was fortunate to be part of his journey along with the strength and conditioning coach and he himself. We named our working group as ‘Team Shreyas’," said physiotherapist Abhishek Sawant who has worked with the batter for close to a decade now.There was a lot of attention given to the mental aspect of the game and what stood out was the right-hander's relentless approach.“We had detailed out his journey with a holistic approach, dividing the transformation into three parts: Physio, S&C and his skill sets. Shreyas also underwent a mental switch, practising a lot of visualisation. There was exclusive focus during the period of two to three months on making him as robust as possible and getting him back into his best shape."What stood out during the course is that Shreyas wanted us to keep pushing him. There were days when he woke up with a lot of soreness but there was no attempt to escape the grind. He's gone through so much toil that any challenge seems easy," said Sawant.During that difficult period, there was never a dip in the level of dedication and extreme focus helped him return an even better cricketer and stronger individual."His current level of excellence is because of his pure dedication, doing the right things at the right time and being extremely focused. The results are in front of everyone," concluded Sawant.

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