Key Points

Iyer was one of the biggest stars for India in their ICC Champions Trophy win, forming various match-winning partnerships and making a good use of his ability to navigate middle overs phase of the game. He ended up as India's top scorer and overall second-highest, with 243 runs in five innings at an average of 48.60, with two half-centuries and a strike rate of over 79. His best score was 79.

This was a moment of ultimate redemption of Iyer, who was dropped out of BCCI's central contract list due to his alleged lack of commitment to red-ball cricket. Following that, he won the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as captain, captured the 42nd Ranji Trophy title for Mumbai with a match-winning half-century in the final, and won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Mumbai as a captain before landing the CT 2025 for India.

Speaking on a podcast on IQOO India's YouTube channel, Shreyas Iyer said about the cricketing moment he would never forget, "Winning the ICC CT for India, it was the best feeling ever".

On what was his quest for the next five years, Iyer simply revealed it to be "happiness".

Iyer picked up Australian legend Ricky Ponting's "elegent" straight drive over that of Sachin Tendulkar, while he revealed the Indian maestro to be the player who comes in his mind first when a mention of the 'on drive' shot is made. Similarly, his pick was former Indian opener for square cut shot, Rohit Sharma for pull shot and Virat Kohli for cover drive.

Later, after the CT 2025, he had an outstanding season for Punjab Kings (PBKS) as a captain and a batter in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, leading the team to finals under coaching of Aussie legend Ponting. He ended up scoring 604 runs in 17 matches and innings at an average of 50.33, a strike rate of 175.07 and six fifties. His best score was 97*. Despite emerging as the sixth-highest run-getter in the tournament, he was not picked in the Asia Cup squad.

- ANI