23 October,2020 07:33 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer, 25, is not just fast establishing himself as a versatile batsman, but his style of captaincy in the IPL too is winning him laurels.
Iyer recently received a lot of praise from senior India opener and his Delhi Capitals teammate Shikhar Dhawan. Now, DC's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada has hailed Iyer's leadership qualities.
"Shreyas has been really unbelievable as captain. He is young. For a captain, especially when you are leading overseas players and on a big stage such as the IPL, there is no Mickey Mouse stuff," Rabada told. mid-day asked about the Mumbai player's captaincy during a virtual press conference from Dubai on Thursday.
Ever since Iyer took over the captaincy, midway through IPL 2018, where Delhi finished last on the points table, the team has only risen. They finished third the following year.
Even the new co-owners have shown faith in Iyer's leadership as the team currently sits at the top of the table after 10 games in IPL-13.
"He [Shreyas] has done really well so far. He is leading from the front. Shreyas is just a normal, chilled out guy. When we get on the field, he is the captain and he has to make the decisions. There are some senior players and I'm sure [coach] Ricky [Ponting] is talking to him a lot and other senior players around the team can discuss a few things. So, it's a very liberal environment, which is probably one of the reasons we've been really successful. He has all the tools around him and I think he has utilised them well so far," said South African Rabada, who played against Iyer during the 2014 U-19 World Cup.
Kagiso Rabada
Proteas pacer Kagiso Rabada spoke about the influence of former South African President, late Nelson Mandela on him."Nelson Mandela played a huge role in the world and particularly in South Africa. Fighting for basic needs, basic rights, that's freedom and it's important that nobody feels inferior. Liberation of the mind is the most important thing and that's the message you want to spread as a sportsman since you have a platform," said Rabada.
"A lot of people look up to us as sportsmen but if I compare myself with an everyday person, I'm probably the same. Cricket gives me a platform and social responsibility and a reminder that I need to fight for the right causes. But I'll never shove my opinions down anyone's throat," added Rabada.
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