T20 2018: Mumbai mates, coach give Shreyas Iyer the thumbs up

Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer's Mumbai Ranji Trophy teammates and coach feel he will be comfortable with the responsibility of being T20 2018's Delhi team's new captain after Gautam Gambhir stepped down from the post.

"Since Shreyas has been playing the T20 for the last three years, he has the kind of experience to lead a team. I am confident he will perform better as a captain, " said Iyer's Mumbai colleague Akhil Herwadkar, who had earlier represented Delhi.

"Though Shreyas has not led Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, he provides valuable inputs during our team meetings or on the field. He is a player, who enjoys responsibilities so I don't think captaincy will affect his batting," added Herwadkar. Jay Bista, another Mumbai colleague, said: "He has led India 'A' and also captained India 'B' to the Deodhar Trophy win.

"Shreyas has a good cricketing brain. I feel it's a fine choice by Delhi and the captaincy will be a good confidence-booster for him," said Bista. Meanwhile, Mumbai coach Sameer Dighe also predicted good times for Iyer. "It will be a great experience for Shreyas. He is capable of leading a team as a unit and has that knack of getting along with each and every player. He's also very strong mentally so he can shoulder this responsibility," said Dighe.

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