IPL 2021: 3 reasons why Shreyas Iyer should captain the Delhi Capitals
The Delhi Capitals will have a difficult question to answer when the IPL resumes - should Rishabh Pant remain skipper or should the captaincy be handed back to Shreyas Iyer?
With only a month left until the second phase of IPL 2021 to begin, teams have already started to chalk out plans for the business end.
Pant was handed over the reins after a dislocated shoulder ruled Iyer out of the first phase of the tournament. The young wicket-keeper-batsman did an outstanding job, winning six out of the first eight matches to help the team to the top of the points table.
However, with Shreyas Iyer back in the fold, the management will have to choose between Rishabh Pant and Iyer as the captain of the side. On that note, let's take a look at 3 reasons why Shreyas Iyer should lead the Delhi Capitals.
3. He led the Delhi Capitals to their maiden IPL final
Shreyas Iyer took over the captaincy after Gautam Gambhir stepped down as Delhi captain midway through the 2019 IPL season. Iyer soon made an impact by helping the Capitals qualify for the playoffs. However, their dreams were crushed as they lost the second qualifier to the Chennai Super Kings.
Delhi made further progress under Shreyas Iyer, reaching the final last season in the UAE. However, they once again finished second, losing out to Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians. With an outstanding record as captain, Shreyas Iyer would be the ideal candidate to lead Delhi Capitals in the known UAE conditions.
2. He leads from the front as a batsman
With additional leadership responsibilities, often the best batsmen in the business start faltering due to added pressure. However, Shreyas Iyer thrives under pressure.
The Mumbai-born batsman played a couple of match-winning knocks in IPL 2020 as he guided the Delhi Capitals to their maiden final. Iyer finished with 519 runs from 17 matches, scoring at a rate of 123.27, which included three half-centuries.
With Delhi aiming for nothing less than their maiden IPL title, Iyer would be the best person to lead the side in the second phase of IPL 2021.
1. He has excellent game awareness skills
Although new to the role, Shreyas Iyer has already been touted as one of the successors to Team India captain Virat Kohli. Iyer has displayed exemplary match-reading skills with excellent bowling changes and field placements. This earned him praise from all quarters.
Former Delhi captain Virender Sehwag told Cricbuzz last year:
“No doubt, Shreyas Iyer has impressed me quite a lot as captain this season. He would make a lot of field and bowling changes which left me quite impressed. When he was made the captain the first time, I thought, 'Why has he been made the captain?' There were other players who could have been made the captain. But the decision made by Ricky Ponting to make him the captain proved to be the correct one."
While a decision is yet to be made, it will be interesting to see if Delhi Capitals management hand over the reins back to Shreyas Iyer.