Shreyas Iyer had a clear message for Shashank Singh ahead of the final over of Punjab Kings’ innings in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

The Punjab Kings captain was stranded on 97 but trusted Shashank’s big-hitting abilities and allowed him to keep the strike.

“Shashank, don’t be like mera sau honewala hain (I’m close to a hundred), just play your shots and finish it well,” Shreyas told his teammate.

Punjab Kings’ designated finisher, Shashank, listened to his captain and how —he blasted 23 runs off the final over, including a wide, which proved to be decisive in the end.

“It takes a lot of heart and courage to say this because obviously, hundreds don’t come easily in T20s, especially in the IPL,” Shashank said later. “It’s a team game at the end of the day we all know that, but then in those situations, it’s difficult to be that selfless.”

In his 10th IPL season, Shreyas is yet to get a century. He was on 90 after the 17th over on Tuesday, when he hit three sixes and a four off Prasidh Krishna. He got to play only four balls in the next three overs as Shashank scored at a strike-rate of 275.

Not just his batting, Shreyas’ astute leadership also came in for praise.

Head coach Ricky Ponting revealed that it was Shreyas who told him to send pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak as an impact substitute. In his dressing room speech following their 11-run win, Ponting lauded both Shreyas and Vyshak.

“I was sitting there, I was like, they need 13-14 runs an over... Sent the message out to Shreyas, (asking) what do you want to do? He said straight away, just get Vyshak out there. He’ll nail a couple of overs at yorkers and we will close the game. And you were the one that changed the game, so congratulations,” Ponting said.

Vyshak started by bowling the 15th over with Jos Buttler and Sherfane Rutherford in a murderous mood. The youngster gave away only five runs in his first two overs to peg back the Titans’ chase of 244.

He did go for 18 in his third over but then the Titans had almost lost the plot and needed 27 in the final over by Arshdeep Singh.

Shreyas’ captaincy has never got due recognition. Having been removed from the BCCI central contracts last season, he led KKR to their third IPL title last year.

He then took over the reins of Mumbai and helped them win the Ranji Trophy, the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 championship and the Irani Cup. His performance didn’t go unnoticed and he played a key role in India’s Champions Trophy triumph earlier this month.

Shreyas is known to be an instinctive captain who takes his decisions on the field depending on the situation. He maintains a cool head, as his Mumbai teammates will testify, never allowing others to be affected by the situation.

He had also helped Delhi Capitals reach the playoffs in two seasons, including the final in 2020, after finishing last in 2018.

His biggest test awaits with the Punjab Kings this season.