"Shreyas Iyer is India’s No.1 batter against spin bowling": Ex-BCCI selector gives honest verdict
Published - 04 Apr 2026, 04:06 PM | Updated - 04 Apr 2026, 04:33 PM
Captain Shreyas Iyer has not only won the thrilling IPL 2026 game for Punjab Kings (PBSK) but also a lot of praise for his blistering fifty against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday, April 3, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Iyer played a stunning knock of 50 off 29 balls exactly when Punjab Kings needed someone to anchor the chase and still keep the scoreboard racing against the Chennai Super Kings.
Shreyas Iyer stuns CSK with blistering fifty
Chasing a massive 210 against CSK in their own den is never easy, but the PBKS captain made it look easy. Shreyas Iyer kept rotating strike and played his strokes when bowlers lost the lines as Punjab chased down the target in just 18.4 overs with five wickets in hand against Chennai.
After the match, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim showered rich praise on Iyer. He said that the Chennai knock was another reminder that Iyer often delivers under pressure but still doesn’t get the credit he truly deserves both as a player and captain.
Karim felt that the PBKS skipper’s reading of spin, his timing, and the way he changes gears make him very different from the rest of the batters. He even called Iyer the best spin player in the white-ball formats.
Read Also: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reacts as Jos Buttler calls him ‘GOAT’ to his face amid IPL 2026
He's No. 1 batter against spin bowling: Saba Karim
Saba Karim said on ESPNcricinfo's ‘Time Out’ show: “He doesn't get the credit he deserves either as batter or as leader. Today was one such example where he showed why he's so different from the other batters we've seen so far. Even in the T20 format, he looks so flawless, [and] he has so much of time. I think he's arguably the No. 1 batter against spin bowling - [I am] talking about white-ball cricket, including one-day and T20.”
Over the last two years, Shreyas Iyer has transformed himself into a complete T20 batter. The numbers clearly show his rise. Since IPL 2024, the Mumbaikar has been striking at 169.51, which is a huge jump from his earlier strike rate of 130. He scored 351 runs for KKR in 2024, followed by a brilliant season with PBKS in 2025, where he finished as their top scorer with 600+ runs.
Karim hails Shreyas Iyer's technical transformation
The former Indian selector believes that Iyer has made certain technical improvements, as he now gets into strong positions before the ball even reaches him. His back-and-across movement keeps his balance perfect, and his front leg opens up smoothly, giving him space to hit both straight and across the line.
Karim further explained, “And even against pace bowlers, since he has started to work on his square shots towards the on side, I think he has become a much better or a more rounded kind of a batter who's very difficult to contain. He gets into such strong positions before he faces a delivery. Look at his trigger movement: he goes back, so the weight of his body goes from one leg to the other.”
Secret behind Shreyas Iyer’s power hitting
This technique also helps him handle short deliveries with confidence. Earlier, Iyer was struggling against the short deliveries and even some world-class spinners, due to which he had also lost his place in the Indian cricket team, especially the Test team in 2024.
He signed off by saying, “Then the front leg opens up quite easily, and then he goes bang. So, I think that is one area where he has worked very hard. It also allows him to play the short delivery well. So, he can go either on the front foot or transfer his weight a little bit, and smash it down the ground or over the square-leg or midwicket boundary.”
Read Also: Not Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli! Kevin Pietersen turns on the TV to watch Shreyas Iyer
About the Author
Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ...
