The Delhi Capitals team, then Delhi Daredevils, in 2018 took a huge chance when they replaced Gautam Gambhir as captain of the franchise and put a young Shreyas Iyer at the helm. It resulted in kind of a rebirth for the franchise, as they came very close to qualifying for the playoff that season.
That wish was fulfilled in IPL 2019 when Shreyas Iyer led the franchise to the playoffs and the Mumbai based batsman has made quite a splash with his captaincy and positive attitude.
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He credited India captain Virat Kohli as one of his sources of inspiration and highlighted his relentless energy and fighting nature is something that inspires every player to give it that extra bit to ensure that the team comes out on the winning side.
“Virat is a great example for all the youngsters in the team because he has that relentless and fighting nature. We pick up a lot from him and he keeps motivating us and he is the kind of energy that if he is around, you are also bound to pick up his routines and habits. It is excellent to not just have him around, but also how he leads us and keeps us pumped up. The way he leads the team is simply amazing,” the 25-year-old said.
Talking about his own captaincy stint in the IPL with Delhi Capitals, Iyer said, “Thankfully, I scored a 93 (off 40 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders as DC won the game by 55 runs) in my first game as captain and that changed a lot of things as people started looking at me with a lot more belief that I would take the team to the next level.”
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“It was a dream come true to lead a franchise like Delhi Capitals and I am really excited and hoping to win the championship,” he smiled.
Shreyas Iyer was named the captain of a team during a time when they had lost a bunch of matches in a row and was clearly struggling. But the batsman says that he loves challenges and the idea of taking an underdog team to the title is what he dreams of.
“If I was ever given a choice or put in a situation, I would definitely look forward to leading an underdog team because if you can take an underdog team to the title, people look at you differently and you yourself also feel that sense of achievement,” he said.
(IANS inputs)
