Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch lavished praise on Shreyas Iyer after Punjab Kings registered a seven-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Saturday. With this win, PBKS were able to snap their six-game losing streak.

Iyer scored a magnificent knock of 101 off 51 balls, which is his maiden IPL century. The PBKS skipper smashed 11 fours and five sixes in his blistering knock. But PBKS will have to depend on other results to qualify for the playoffs. The Mohali-based franchise would hope that Rajasthan Royals loses their final game against Mumbai Indians. 

“It was a wonderful innings. He started by playing classic cricket shots. He doesn’t move around the crease a huge amount, he hits the ball where it should go, which is generally the art of batting,” Finch was quoted as saying on JioStar.

Finch was impressed with the way Iyer played against the LSG’s spinners and dominated them during his match-winning knock.

“We know how destructive he is against spin, and he just took it to a new level in this game. The crack off the bat from some of the shots he hit was exceptional,” he said.

The former Australian opener was delighted for Iyer after the latter scored his first IPL century.

“Very happy for him to get his first IPL hundred. It’s never easy batting in the middle order, but he was a class above the rest,” he said.

Finch added that Iyer’s knock reflected his leadership abilities to perform in high-pressure situations.

“You could see what it meant to him to get his side into a position to make a run at the playoffs. These are the games you want to be a part of. These are the games where your leaders need to stand up, and that’s exactly what Shreyas did in this game,” Finch stated.

Iyer would look to carry his rich form if PBKS qualifies for the playoffs.