Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain, Shreyas Iyer, has been praised by his team-mate Rahmanullah Gurbaz as a potential future leader of the Indian cricket team. The Afghanistan wicket-keeper batter said that Iyer has the qualities to succeed Rohit Sharma.
Notably, Iyer has returned to the Indian squad after recovering from a back injury that kept him out of action for several months. He has been a consistent performer for India in the middle order, especially in the ODI format.
Gurbaz said that Iyer’s experience of leading a team in the IPL, which he called the biggest competition in the world, makes him a good candidate for India captaincy. He said that Iyer has shown his ability to handle pressure and manage players from different backgrounds and cultures. He also said that Iyer is a key player for India and hoped that he would do well in the Asia Cup.
“Hopefully, he (Shreyas) will become a good captain. He will be a good captain because he leads a team (KKR) in the IPL. The IPL is the biggest competition in the world. If he can lead a team in the IPL, he can lead any team in the world. India also. Rohit is there right now”, Gurbaz said to TOI.
Earlier, Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Iyer and called him “extremely important” player.
“Shreyas Iyer is extremely important to our side. He’s one of the best players in the Indian line-up against spin and a very consistent No.4 for India. If he’s completely fit to play, there’s no debate who should be No.4 for India”, Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Indian squad will assemble in Bangalore for a 6-day camp for Asia Cup 2023 starting on Thursday. The continental tournament will begin on August 30. India will begin their campaign on September 2 against arch-rival Pakistan.
