Iyer has no qualms about not being celebrated enough as captain

Shreyas Iyerled teams have reached IPL 2024 final two times in the last four years But the Kolkata Knight Riders skipper has little qualms about not being celebrated enough as a leader and ceding spotlight to their mentor Gautam GambhirIyer had led Delhi Capitals to the IPL title clash in 2020 before guiding KKR to IPL 2024s summit match against Sunrisers Hyderabad to be played here on SundayAsked if he feels that his achievements as a leader havent received enough traction the straighttalking Mumbaikar replied sharplyThe hype is definitely created by you guys media Where I stand as a skipper is definitely on you to decide Iyer replied to a query from PTI during the prematch conference here on SaturdayOn Gambhirs contribution as the mentor Iyer termed him as one of the finest readers of the game in T20 formatAbout Gautam bhai I feel he has got immense knowledge about how the game is played He has won two titles previously with KKR and his strategies have been spoton in terms of what execution we have to make against the oppositionAlso ReadCummins eyes another title as Hyderabad face Kolkata in IPL finalIyer seemed confident that KKR would come up trumps against SRH with Gambhir offering his invaluable inputs from the dugoutHopefully we keep continuing with the same momentum with his knowledgeThe last six months has been quite a rollercoaster journey for the stylish righthander whose initial reluctance to play redball domestic cricket saw him lose the BCCI central contractIyer did come back and play the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha where he scored a 95 in the second inningsThe 29yearold had a middling IPL so far and also wasnt remotely in contention for a berth in the T20 World Cup sideThe scars have not healed and were evident when he spoke about how people didnt believe him when he talked about his struggles with a back injury which seemed to have resurfacedI was definitely struggling after the World Cup in the longer format When I raised my concern no one was agreeing to it But at the same time the competition was with myself said Iyer who has scored more than 4000 runs in 124 games across three formatsFor Iyer it was important to stay focused on the job at hand rather than thinking about what all had gone wrongWhen IPL was approaching all I wanted was to put my best foot forward Whatever planning and strategizing we did before it and executing it to the best of our abilities and thats where we are right now he addedIyer had pulled out of the England Tests at home after the first two games and once he started training for the IPLUnlike others who loosely use the word adjustment and adaptability Iyer admitted that it was easier said than doneThe transformation from red ball to white ball is difficult as a batter and also as a bowler So it was difficult at the start but once you get used to it you pick up the pace and match on with the other playersWhile Iyer did have a torrid time during FebruaryMarch he gradually started to get over his concerns about national selection once he appeared for Mumbai in the Ranji finalWe won the final I was a part of the team and also contributed in the final It gives me immense pleasure to be playing so well in the last few months said Iyer who headlined his teams chase in the Qualifier 1 against SRH with a welltimed unbeaten 58All I did was stay in the present and not think about what was going to happen to me or was worried about the selection process I just wanted to come and participate and play to the best of my abilities he statedWith agency inputs