There are cricket careers. Then there are careers where the plot twists appear too unrealistic even for fiction. Shreyas Iyer’s professional life over the last three years belongs firmly to that category.He had a recurring back injury which threatened not merely form but longevity. There were questions over his commitment towards domestic cricket. He lost a BCCI central contract. He went from being considered an all-format certainty — and at one point even a leadership candidate — to becoming only an ODI regular.Shreyas led two different IPL franchises (Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings) to finals in successive years, winning one and losing the other. He produced one of the greatest World Cup knockout innings by an Indian batter and still found himself outside certain squads months later.The latest episodeIf Indian cricket ever runs out of scripts, somebody only needs to document the past few years of Shreyas’ cricketing life. The latest episode was released last Saturday. The 31-year-old was not just recalled into India’s T20I set-up after two-and-a-half years away from the squad. He was handed the captaincy!That he returned to the side is understandable. That he returned to the side as skipper is fascinating. Though Shreyas being chosen for the top job may not be surprising, the circumstances under which he became captain certainly are. For years, conversations on Shreyas revolved around leadership potential.Could he command a dressing room? Could his personality dominate elite players? Could he tactically survive international cricket? Could he transition from an instinctive leader to a traditional one? Over the last 18 months, those questions were answered in the affirmative at the domestic and franchise level.Providing evidenceShreyas simply went out and provided evidence. He led KKR to the IPL title in 2024. He guided Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy later in the year. In 2025, he steered PBKS to the IPL summit clash.