For captain Iyer, job only half done

AS Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar walked into the ground floor press conference room of the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, after finishing the captaincy photoshoot, the former looked tired.

- GOMESH S @ Ahmedabad

AS Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar walked into the ground floor press conference room of the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, after finishing the captaincy photoshoot, the former looked tired. It was understandable considering the fact that less than 15 hours ago, Shreyas was out on the field after winning the Qualifier 2 game for Punjab Kings against Mumbai at the same venue.

The Mumbaikar smashed an unbeaten 87 off 41 balls—which he would go on to classify as the best T20 knock he has played—ripping apart the mighty Mumbai Indians bowling attack. He did so without breaking a sweat, uttering a word, showing a shred of emotion before spitting out the chewing gum and walking off the field. So, given a choice, he probably would not want to be back in the venue in about 15 hours again; the Punjab team did not train, but the captain had to come for the press conference.

After the successful chase, which went on till 2 AM on Monday, all he wanted to do was go to his room and crash. That is what he said when asked if there was any update on the fitness of Yuzvendra Chahal.