Shreyas Iyer’s near-flawless game as well as his precision in tackling Jasprit Bumrah in Qualifier II against Mumbai Indians were central to Punjab Kings’ runners-up finish in IPL 2025. It also gave an impression that Shreyas’s T20I comeback prospects had brightened.

That impression, though, got nipped as ODIs continue to be the only format where Shreyas appears to be an automatic choice.

Considering his abilities in limited-overs cricket, it’s quite baffling to see him confined to being just a one-format cricketer of Team India for the last 23 months. An IPL-winning captain for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 and following it up with an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07 to lead Punjab Kings to the second-best position last year, seeing Shreyas still sidelined from T20I cricket has certainly surprised quite a few, if not all.

However, irrespective of all the disappointments, Shreyas took them all in his stride
and delivered whenever he donned the India cap. In the home ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy early in 2025, Shreyas’s performances were crucial to India coming up trumps in those assignments.

Before the spleen laceration he suffered in the Sydney ODI against Australia last October, he had contributed with a well-made 61 in the previous game in Adelaide, though India were on the losing side.

Back in the team for the New Zealand ODIs, beginning in Vadodara on Sunday, Shreyas has prepared well. The Vijay Hazare Trophy game for Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh last Tuesday, where he smashed a 53-ball 82, marked his comeback in competitive cricket and also served as a green light from the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in terms of his availability for Sunday’s clash against the Black Caps.

In his next appearance on Thursday against Punjab, the Mumbai skipper came up with another brisk 45 off 34 balls.

These knocks further reflected the effort put in by Shreyas to keep his rhythm intact even after being off cricket for over two months.

“The volumes of practice he underwent at the COE also have a role to play,” a BCCI official told The Telegraph on Friday. “Lasting 50 overs while fielding and 50 overs with the bat… Such was his pattern of training, especially after he was out for quite some time and had to miss the Syed Mushtaq Ali (T20) Trophy as well. Apart from that, there are just a few minor tweaks that he has made.”

When he takes guard against the New Zealanders, Shreyas should feel confident about avoiding any kind of scratchiness. Importantly, he has had that feel of competitive cricket going into the New Zealand series.

However, continuing with meaningful contributions in the coming matches to ensure his place in the ODI squad isn’t threatened is also important for Shreyas. The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma (at recovery phase at the moment after an abdominal injury) are there as options, which Shreyas is well aware of.

If Shreyas remains consistent, his place in ODIs cannot be challenged. Besides, by chance it takes Tilak long to recover fully by the time the T20 World Cup begins, there could well be interesting times awaiting Shreyas.