'Don't Worry About My Hundred': Shreyas Iyer's Message To Shashank Singh

Shreyas Iyer was within touching distance of his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) century, but fate had it the other way, as the Indian batter was stranded on 97 off 42 deliveries against Gujarat Titans on March 25. Had Iyer even faced one ball in the 20th over, there was a good possibility that he would have brought up the second-fastest IPL century for an Indian. 

Shashank Singh, who was at the other end and faced all of the six deliveries in the final over, revealed that Iyer asked him not to ‘worry about his hundred’. 

"Yes, it was a good cameo. But looking at Shreyas, that motivated me even more. Let me be very honest - Shreyas, from ball one, said don't worry about my hundred!” he revealed in the mid-innings chat with the broadcasters. 

The right-hander absolutely smashed the leather with a 16-ball 44, striking at 275. The pair put on a rollicking 81 runs off just 28 balls, helping Punjab Kings reach 243/5, the highest-ever T20 total at the venue.

“Just watching the ball and reacting to it. I try and make sure I get the boundaries. When you go at that number, it's more likely that you'll not get a good hit. I know the shots I can back. I focus on my strengths rather than things which I can't do."