Punjab Kings all-rounder Suryansh Shedge had to bide his time in the first month of IPL 2026, when the Shreyas Iyer-led side operated like a winning machine.

In that phase, the 23-year-old constantly kept reminding the PBKS decision-makers of the value he could bring to the table. And when the opportunities came his way after slices of luck — Shashank Singh’s absence due to a hamstring issue and Nehal Wadhera’s wretched batting run — Shedge showed his wares with the willow.

The youngster stressed that approaching every practice session with the “right attitude” helped him get going straightaway.

“Even though I was not playing, I was working as hard as I possibly could every day. That is what made me ready for my entry into the playing XI,” Shedge said during a virtual interaction on Saturday.

He rescued a sinking ship with a fighting 29-ball 57 against Gujarat Titans and followed it up with a 25 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. “A lot of cricketers start thinking negatively when they are on the sidelines. But I looked at it as an extra month of preparation. I was learning, watching games and trying to find ways to improve.”

The Mumbai lad revealed that meaningful chats with Shreyas and a “heart-to-heart” conversation with head coach Ricky Ponting kept him in the right frame of mind.

“Shreyas bhai and I talk a lot about cricket. Constructive criticism is necessary sometimes, and only a healthy team environment can give you that,” Shedge said.

“With Ponting sir, the talks were about how I was batting in the nets. After the fourth or fifth game, he said that he totally understood how I was feeling [frustrated at times]. He asked me to focus on my preparation so that I am switched on when I get a chance. That talk helped me a lot”.