Former BCCI selector MSK Prasad revealed that Shreyas Iyer was earmarked as the next India captain after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, citing Iyer’s extensive grooming and successful stints.
Shreyas Iyer’s leadership in IPL 2024 is turning heads as he guided the Kolkata Knight Riders to the top of the points table. Following their dominant victory over Lucknow Super Giants, where KKR won by a whopping 98-run margin, Iyer’s captaincy skills are receiving well-deserved attention.
Former BCCI selector MSK Prasad reminisced about recognizing Iyer’s potential as a future leader long ago, noting his systematic grooming compared to players like Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. Prasad, who served as BCCI’s chief selector from 2016 to 2020, revealed that Iyer’s captaincy abilities were evident during his tenure with the India A side.
“Shreyas Iyer, unlike Hardik Pandya or Ravindra Jadeja has been groomed (as a captain). He has come through a system. If you go back to the stats, in the last two years, when we were at the helm, Shreyas Iyer led the side (India A). I think out of the 10 series that India A played, we won 8. In the majority of those series, Shreyas led the side. He has been in and around as captain. He has been groomed for that particular slot,” Prasad said to RevSportz.
“We felt that post Virat, post Rohit Sharma, you needed someone to lead the side that’s when we started thinking about Shreyas Iyer or Rishabh Pant. But even ahead of Pant, was Iyer as a captain,” he added.
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In 2018, Shreyas Iyer got his first taste of captaincy when Gautam Gambhir stepped down as Delhi Capitals’ captain mid-season, passing the baton to the young leader. Guided by Ricky Ponting, Iyer began his leadership journey, but a shift occurred when Rishabh Pant took over.
Despite setbacks like a shoulder injury in early 2021 and losing the captaincy to Pant for IPL 2021, Iyer’s leadership potential emerged. Joining Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2022, he found a new opportunity to lead.
“He is slowly maturing into a very good leader. It’s very important at the start of your captaincy career to have a good team management. That’s what he’s getting from KKR. He is young, and they are going to invest in him. In the next two or three years, we will see Shreyas evolve into a wonderful captain,” Prasad concluded.
Last Updated on May 6, 2024
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