Shreyas Iyer’s resurgence with the bat in white-ball cricket has caught everyone’s attention — and former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes it all boils down to a vital shift in his batting technique. Iyer was one of the standout performers in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer with 243 runs at an impressive average of 48.60. Iyer is currently leading Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2025.
His stellar run helped him secure a place in India’s centrally contracted players for the 2024/25 season. Speaking to Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review, Shastri broke down the technical adjustments that have contributed to Iyer’s impressive turnaround.
Ravi Shastri decodes the technical adjustments that led to Shreyas Iyer’s success
According to Shastri, the key improvement lies in Iyer’s body positioning at the crease and this minor adjustment has had a major impact. Shastri reckoned that Iyer’s he bat is being lifted simultaneously as he moves into position, giving him the ability to play a wider range of shots. Whether it’s a short ball that needs pulling or width outside off stump that calls for a cut shot, Iyer now looks equipped to deal with both.
“He was very side on, was back and back, very much leg-side. The fact that he’s prepared to go back and across now and with a very upright stance and the pick up. While he’s moving back, the bat’s being picked up as well when he’s going back and across. That allows him to play both sides of the wicket. If they bang it in short, he can pull and hook. And if there’s any room outside the off stump, he can cut as well,” Shastri explained.
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Shastri on how a balanced stance has unlocked Iyer’s full potential
For a long time, Iyer’s struggle against short-pitched deliveries was seen as a chink in his armour. Shastri explained that Iyer’s previous tendency to stay too leg-side made him vulnerable to body-line deliveries, especially around the rib cage, leaving him with limited scoring options and no room to manoeuvre. However, with his new, more balanced stance and improved movement at the crease, Iyer has created space to access both sides of the wicket. According to Shastri, this adjustment, combined with his natural timing and quick hands, has allowed Iyer to get into position early and unleash his full range of strokes, making him a far more dangerous and complete batter.
“So that opens up the game for him rather than being too leg-side where the rib cage was being targeted and then there was no escape. Now he’s got space to go both ways and he’s such a good timer of the ball. He’s got good hands and when he gets into position early then he can be devastating as he’s showing now when he’s batting,” added Shastri.
