It is obvious that Shreyas Iyer would be quite nervous after being thrown into the deep end and it is for him to swim or drown with the team
Delhi's skipper Shreyas Iyer
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It's not an ideal situation to groom a young captain with the team languishing at the bottom of the points table and with the regular skipper, Gautam Gambhir having thrown in the towel. But the good thing for new leader Shreyas Iyer is that Delhi can only improve from here if they can get their act together. Though it may be difficult for them to make the playoffs, they can still make the season worthwhile. It is obvious that Iyer, 23, would be quite nervous after being thrown into the deep end and it is for him to swim or drown with the team.
Rohit Sharma's example
Luckily, he has a solid example of Rohit Sharma, his Mumbai Ranji Trophy teammate, who was handed the Mumbai' captaincy in similar circumstances in 2013, after Ricky Ponting voluntarily stepped down. A young Rohit not only revived the fortunes of the team but also led them to their maiden IPL title, much against expectations.
Ponting is now the head coach of Delhi and that is a big blessing for Iyer, as he will be guided by the person who has seen it all. Iyer's initiation as an IPL captain will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination as tonight at Kotla they will be up against Kolkata who have a settled look about them under Dinesh Karthik.
Delhi bowling coach James Hopes told the media that Gambhir was very much involved in training and planning though he has stepped down. "After he stepped down, Gambhir spoke to the players in a matter-of-fact way. He trained with the boys and was heavily involved in tactics. He will be guiding the young captain as he takes up the responsibility of turning the tide for the team," Hopes said.
Iyer enjoys leadership
The coach said that despite being a young leader, Iyer has a clear mind and knows exactly what he wants. "He enjoys being in a senior position. He speaks very well and is clear on want he wants. He's going to have his own ideas on tactics, which is great. I expect his batting to go up with a Delhied responsibility. I am sure he will not miss a beat as captain," Hopes said. The tournament is just entering the half-way stage with the teams engaged in Game 7 of 14 matches they are scheduled to play. Delhi are down but not alone as fancied teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore and MI are struggling too and are just above Delhi in the table.
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