Shreyas Iyer Reveals Why KL Rahul Is His Favourite Captain

Indian batter Shreyas Iyer said that he enjoyed playing under KL Rahul’s captaincy in the South Africa tour 2021-22. Earlier in January, Rahul was named the ODI captain in the three-match series as regular skipper Rohit Sharma was unavailable for the selection owing to his hamstring injury during that point.

India suffered a 3-0 whitewash by the Proteas in Rahul’s white-ball captaincy debut, he eventually lost four matches as the captain as India lost the second Test in Johannesburg by seven wickets.

I really enjoyed playing under KL Rahul: Shreyas Iyer

Iyer, who played all three ODI matches against South Africa, acclaimed Rahul’s leadership skills and mentioned his calm mindset.

The Mumbai player was personally contended to play under Rahul as he allowed him to roll his arms in the third ODI in Cape Town.

“It was nice to play under him. Firstly, he is an outstanding player. The confidence he carries on the field and in the team meetings, the support that he provides to the players it great.

“He’s got a very calm demeanour and his on-field decision making is very instinctive,” Iyer said on Red Bull Cricket Room on Clubhouse.

“I really enjoyed playing under him. Also, he gave me three overs of bowling, which none of the captains previously had done. So yeah, he’s my favourite captain,” he added. 

When that ‘C’ in the team list comes, it does feel new: KL Rahul

Rahul mentioned that it is a matter of pride and honour for him to lead his country in any format on the international stage. The Indian opener also said that additional responsibility didn’t change his thought process.

“It didn’t put me off or my mindset didn’t change a lot. All of us, in some way or the other, when we play the game we are our own captain and in our head, we are playing situations like we are a captain,” he said. 

“When that ‘C’ in the team list comes, it does feel new and it is something you are proud of. It is an honour not many people get and it is something you always dream of and I was very happy, very grateful,” he concluded. 

Both Iyer (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants) will start a new leadership stint in the IPL 2022 with their respective franchises.

Also Read: It Came To Me As A Huge Surprise: KL Rahul Reveals Reaction On Test Captaincy In Johannesburg