Former India coach Ravi Shastri lavished rich praise on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer for the way he has led the team and feels that captaincy comes naturally to Mumbai batter.
Shreyas was bought by the KKR in IPL 2022 auction for INR 12.50 crs and given the responsibility of leading the franchise and the Mumbaikar has done a decent job so far, with his team winning three and losing as many matches from six outings. Shastri claims Shreyas will only get better and better as the tournament advances.
Speaking on Star Sports, Shastri said, “Captaincy comes naturally to Shreyas. Look at his aggressive captaincy, you don’t feel like he’s leading KKR for the first time. Looks like he’s been captaining them for the last 3 to 4 seasons and it is visible through his clarity of thoughts.”
“His mindset is clear about what brand of cricket he needs to play as a batter. At the same time, he’s aware of what he as a captain needs to do to take his team to the playoffs and win the title. I’ve liked the way he’s spoken during the pre and post-match conferences and that shows he’s clear with his plans. I am convinced he’ll go a long way,” Shastri added.
Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop also backed Shreyas to come back stronger after back-to-back defeats in the last two games, He said that the cricketer had a good appetite for the game and had the support of some seasoned campaigners.
“I think despite suffering back-to-back defeats, it is possible for Shreyas to regather his troops and bounce back. When he became captain of the Delhi Capitals, he just got them better and better with every season.
It will take him a little settling period here (at KKR) but he’s got some seasoned campaigners around him. Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are experienced players. Coach Brendon McCullum is also very experienced. So I have no doubt that Shreyas will get the guys going,” Bishop added.
KKR meet RR in their next match on Monday, April 18 in Brabourne Stadium.
